2 Ducat SK 2023 - Ferdinand II proof

The third Ducat series of the Czech Mint, created for Slovak collectors and investors in 2023, tells the story of the coronation of the Hungarian kings in Bratislava. The gold double ducat features not only King Ferdinand II, but also a scene from the second part of the coronation act.

King Rudolf left no legitimate descendants. His successor, his younger brother Matthias, also died childless. Along with them, the direct line of the Habsburg ruling family died out. Matthias had a distant nephew from the lateral line, Ferdinand, the second of that name on the Hungarian throne, elected and crowned King of Hungary in 1618.

"The act of anointing with sacred oil and crowning took place as part of a solemn mass that followed the old order. The crown was placed on the king's head by the Archbishop of Esztergom. After the coronation in the cathedral, the new king, with the crown on his head, walked through the streets of the town to the Church of Our Lady at the Franciscan monastery. There he knighted the selected waiting nobles as Knights of the Golden Spur," explains Slovak historian Štefan Holčík, an expert on Bratislava's coronation festivities.

Medal maker Veronika Prokopová, DiS., dedicated the obverse side of the two-ducat portrait of King Ferdinand II. The additional motif is a scene from the knighting of the Knights of Hungary. The reverse side is dominated by the St. Stephen's crown.

The gold mintage weighing two ducats is issued in a mintage of only 100 pieces and respects the specifications set by the first Republican St. Wenceslas ducats.