Navarre. Ferdinand II of Aragon gold 2 Ducados (Doble Real de Oro) ND (1512-1516) AU55 NGC, Pamplona mint, Fr-178, MEC VI-Unl., Cay-2340, Cal-129 (RRR). 6.87gm. FЄRnAn∂VS: ∂: G: R: nAVARRЄ: ЄT: AR, crowned, long-haired bust of Ferdinand right / SIT: nOmЄn: ∂OmIn: BЄnЄ∂ITVm: ЄS:, crowned arms of Navarre with double border. An exceptionally rare type minted by Ferdinand the Catholic (Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Ferdinand V of Castile) following his summer invasion of Navarre and the subsequent capitulation of Pamplona on July 24, 1512, with only an extremely tiny handful of examples having appeared on the market in recent decades. Left unvalued by Calicó in the 2019 edition of his Numismática Española and entirely missing from Crusafont, Balaguer, and Grierson's catalog of the Fitzwilliam Museum collection, the issue is almost impossible to locate in appreciable states of preservation, most coming badly bent, poorly struck, or otherwise heavily handled (see, for instance, the example plated by Cayón). As such, locating a piece at this level, particularly with such clear reverse legends, is a very special opportunity indeed. To date, the sole example yet certified, and an exquisite find on the whole.

HID09801242017

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