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Official government issue gold coins with a denomination equivalent to significantly less than 1 US dollar
Considerable help was provided by Robert Lande in producing this list.
Numerous asian and islamic coins have been ommitted due to the vast difference the in culture
and method of production of the coins in those areas (see Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, India,
Malaysia, Nepal 1 DAM @ 0.044gr!, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey).
Also, modern NCLT has not been considered for this list.
Most of the European coins are classed as trade coinage.
It should be observed that most of the European 1/2 dollar "size" coins are actually 1/2 dollar weight, very thin, and similar in diameter to the small diameter USA gold dollar coins.
Austria 1/16 Ducat 1729, 1/8 dollar size
Austria 1/12 Ducat 1675-1711
Austria 1/8 Ducat 1686-1707,1729, 1/4 dollar size
Austria 1/6 Ducat 1669-1711, 1731
Austria 1/4 Ducat 1669-1765, 1/2 dollar size
Austria 1/3 Ducat 1675-1706
(Austria) Montfort 1/4 Ducat 1722-1730, 1/2 dollar size
(Austria) Salzburg 1/4 Ducat 1652-1782, 1/2 dollar size
(Austria) Trautson 1/4 Ducat 1635, 1/2 dollar size
Brazil Joao VI 400 Reis 1725-1734, 1/2 dollar size
Burma 1 PE, 1852, 1866 1/3 dollar size
(Czechoslovakia) Bohemia 1/4 Ducat 1690-1737, 1/2 dollar size
(Czechoslovakia) Olmutz 1/8 Ducat 1670s?, 1/4 dollar size
(Czechoslovakia) Olmutz 1/6 Ducat 1671
(Czechoslovakia) Olmutz 1/4 Ducat 1670s?, 1/2 dollar size
Denmark 1/4 Ducat 1646-1694, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Baden 1/4 Ducat (trade) 1747, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Bavaria 1/4 Ducat 1672-1676, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Blankenburg 1/4 Ducat 1717-1728, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Brandenburg 1/4 Ducat 1668, 1675, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Brandenburg-Ansbach 1/4 Ducat 1680-1717, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Brunswick-Luneburg 1/4 Goldgulden 1754-1757, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Brunswick-Luneburg 1/4 Ducat 1690-1737, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel 1/4 Ducat 1704-1734, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Fulda 1/4 Ducat 1672, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Hall in Swabia 1/4 Ducat 1714, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Hamburg 1/4 Ducat 1680-1729, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Hesse-Cassel 1/4 Ducat 1720-1752, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Hesse-Darmstadt 1/8 Ducat 1705, 1/4 dollar size
(Germany) Hesse-Darmstadt 1/4 Ducat 1703-1705, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Holstein-Gottorp 1/4 Ducat 1708, 1711, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Lippe-Detmold 1/4 Ducat 1714-1715, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Lowenstein-Wertheim 1/4 Ducat 1765-1784 (no date on coin), 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Lubeck 1/4 Ducat 1650-1728, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Mansfeld 1/4 Ducat 1670-1671, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1/4 Ducat 1701-1756, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Nuremberg 1/4 Ducat ca 1700, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Nuremberg 1/8 Ducat ca 1700, 1/4 dollar size
(Germany) Nuremberg 1/16 Ducat ca 1700, 1/8 dollar size
(Germany) Nuremberg 1/32 Ducat ca 1700, 1/16 dollar size
(Germany) Oettingen-oettingen 1/4 Ducat pre 1732, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Passau 1/6 Ducat 1674, 1/3 dollar size
(Germany) Passau 1/4 Ducat 1674, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Pfalz 1/4 Ducat 1708-1711, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Pfalz-Birkenfeld-Zweibrucken 1/4 Ducat 1674, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Pfalz-Sulzbach 1/4 Ducat late 1600s, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Prussia 1/4 Ducat 1706-1715, 1/2 dollar size (8 major varieties)
(Germany) Regensburg 1/4 Ducat 1700-1790, 1/2 dollar size (several designs, round & square)
(Germany) Regensburg 1/8 Ducat ca 1720, 1/4 dollar size (3 designs, round & square)
(Germany) Regensburg 1/10 Ducat
(Germany) Regensburg 1/16 Ducat ca 1750, 1/8 dollar size (3 designs, round & square)
(Germany) Regensburg 1/32 Ducat ca 175, 1/16 dollar size (3 designs all round)
T. Elder listed the following for sale in 1909, although it may have been a 1/32 Ducat
(Germany) Regensburg 1/64 Ducat (not in "World Coins")
(Germany) Rostock 1/4 Ducat 1696, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld 1/4 Ducat, 1752, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-Eisenberg 1/4 Ducat, 1683, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg 1/4 Ducat, 1682, 1684, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-New_Gotha 1/4 Ducat, 1675, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-Sallfeld 1/4 Ducat, 1725-1743, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxe-Weimar 1/4 Ducat, 1651-1662, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Saxony 1/4 Ducat 1696-1743, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Silesia-Liegnitz-Brieg 1/4 Ducat 1619, 1674, 1675, 1/2 dollar size, square and round
(Germany) Stolberg-Rossla 1/8 Ducat 1/4 dollar size
(Germany) Stolberg-Rossla 1/4 Ducat 1706 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Stolberg-Stolberg 1/32 Ducat 1/16 dollar size
(Germany) Stolberg-Stolberg 1/16 Ducat 1/8 dollar size
(Germany) Stolberg-Stolberg 1/8 Ducat 1/4 dollar size
(Germany) Stolberg-Stolberg 1/4 1706 Ducat 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Waldeck 1/4 Ducat 1741-1761, 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Wurttemberg 1/4 Ducat 1/2 dollar size
(Germany) Wurttemberg-Oels 1/4 Ducat 1685-1711, 1/2 dollar size
Great Britian 1/2 Crown 1601-1619, 2/3 dollar size
Guatemala Rafael Carrera 4 reale, 1861-1864, 1/2 dollar size and denomination
Hungary 1/12 Ducat 1739
Hungary 1/8 Ducat 1739, 1761, 1/4 dollar size
Hungary 1/6 Ducat 1673-1752
Hungary 1/4 Ducat 1615-1755, 1/2 dollar size
Hungary 1/3 Ducat 1675, 2/3 dollar size
(Italy) Castiglione Delle Stivier 1/8 Doppia (ND) 1/2 dollar size
(Italy) Genoa 1/8 Doppia 1621-1641, 1/2 dollar size
(Italy) Modena 1/3 Scudo D'Oro (ND, 103 soldi) 2/3 dollar size
(Italy) Modena 1/4 Ducat ND 1/2 dollar size
(Italy) Tuscany 1/8 Doppia ND 1/2 dollar size
(Italy) Venice 1/4 Zecchino ND 1/2 dollar size (35 varieties)
(Italy) Venice 1/2 Ducat ND 2/3 dollar size
Italy 1/8 Zecchino, ND 1/4 dollar size
Italy 1/6 Zecchino, ND
(Poland) Breslau 1/6 Ducat
(Poland) Breslau 1/4 Ducat, 1/2 dollar size
Portugal John V 400 Reis (Cruzado) 1717-1748, 2/3 dollar size*
Portugal Jose I 480 Reis (Pinto) 1752-1776, 2/3 dollar size*
Portugal Joao (P.R. or VI) 480 Reis (Pinto) 1807-1821, 2/3 dollar size*
(Romania) Transylvania 1/16 Ducat 1778, 1/8 dollar size
(Romania) Transylvania 1/8 Ducat 1749, 1778, 1/4 dollar size
(Romania) Transylvania 1/4 Ducat 1606-1780, 1/2 dollar size
Krause lists Russia Kopek (0.01 Rouble?!) ND 1606-1676, 1/4 dollar size, but
Bob Julian reports that "gold Kopeks" are actually military award medals and that they
cover a range of sizes.
Russia Poltina (1/2 Rouble) 1756-1778, 1/2 dollar size, 3 varieties
Scotland 1/2 Crown ND, 2/3 dollar size
Sweden 1/4 Ducat 1692-1755, 1/2 dollar size
(Switzerland) Canton 1/4 Ducat ND (1750-1780), 1/2 dollar size
(Switzerland) Zurich 1/4 Ducat 1639-1767, 1/2 dollar size
Vatican 1/4 Zecchino 1740-1751, 1/2 dollar size. Krause lists these as 1/2 dollar weight in the most
recent edition, they were previously listed as 1 dollar weight. Existance of Vatican 1/2 dollar gold
coins is doubtful.
* Curiously 800 Reis coins (1/2 Escudo = 1 Reale = 1 Spanish dollar) from the same period are 1 dollar size
The list below is sorted by City-State name then by date
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Government issues
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Round 1/16
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Karl Stephens reports that these were issued in a box of 32 pieces, perhaps as a presentation or gift set of some sort.
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Square 1/8
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Round 1/8
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Square 1/4
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Round 1/4
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Square 1/2
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Round 1/2
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At the time, 8 Reales was roughly on PAR with 1 US dollar.
My period Cambists do not list Guatemala though, so I do not have a specific reference.
Guatemala was not known to be a route to California, however it does appear to be a
viable route on a map. It is possible that production of this coin was inspired by
the privately minted California fractional gold pieces.
The second illustrated 1864 piece is a counterfeit (purchased from Peter R. Hiltbrunner as genuine BU,a refund has been received). This counterfeit is markedly light weight at 0.65 grams (should be 0.85grams)
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