Ducat (gold!) from the Akerendam shipwreck (1725)

Netherlands, ducat (gold!) dated 1724, struck in Utrecht. Extremely Fine to Mint State condition. Rare coin, only registered from the Akerendam find (discovered in 1972). Fr. 284; KM 7.1; Rønning 1. 3,55 g.

Akerendam was a merchant vessel owned by the Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, originally bound for Batavia. For unknown reasons, the ship sailed in the wrong direction and ended up off the coast of Norway, where it wrecked near Runde in Sunnmøre in March 1725. The entire crew – including Captain Niclaas de Roy – perished. The wreck was rediscovered in 1972, and the treasure recovered from the seabed is considered the richest coin find in postwar Norwegian history. The coins in this set are notably better preserved than average examples from the Akerendam find.

Protocol no. 5972