Item number: A1151

Year: AD 1931

Material: Gold

Size: 19.9 x 19.8 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 3.5 g

Manufactured by: Kremnica Mint, Slovakia

Provenance: Künker 2024

This is a ducat gold coin minted in AD 1931 during the First Czechoslovak Republic, intended for use as part of the nation’s gold reserves. The coin does not bear a nominal value, reflecting its primary function as a store of wealth rather than as a circulating currency.

The obverse of the coin is encircled by a beaded border, with the central design featuring the coat of arms of Czechoslovakia. This consists of the “Bohemian double-tailed lion” symbolising the Czech lands, and on the lion’s chest, a small shield representing Slovakia, which bears the “Archbishop’s cross and Mount Kriváň.” The shield is adorned on both sides with linden leaves. The outer edge bears the inscription of the nation’s name in Czech, “REPUBLIKA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ,” while the bottom edge displays the minting year “1931,” decorated with geometric patterns.

The reverse side of the coin also features a beaded border, with the central design showcasing a half-length figure of Saint Wenceslas, the Czech national hero, clad in full armour. He is depicted holding a banner and a shield bearing an eagle crest. Saint Wenceslas was a Duke of Bohemia from the medieval Přemyslid dynasty, a devout Christian, and a key figure in the development of Prague. After being assassinated, he was canonised by the Church. On either side of the figure are the initials “O.S.” and “B.,” representing the coin’s designers: sculptor Otakar Španiel and painter Jaroslav Benda. The outer part bears Saint Wenceslas’s motto, “NEDEJ·ZAHYNOUTI·NÁM·I·BUDOUCÍM,” which translates to “Do not let us and future generations perish.”

In AD 1923, the Kremnica Mint, responsible for minting coins for Czechoslovakia, held a national competition for the design of the ducat coin. The winning design, created by sculptor Otakar Španiel and painter Jaroslav Benda, earned the pair a prize of 20,000 Czech koruna. Starting in AD 1923, Czechoslovakia began minting the Saint Wenceslas ducat, which continued until the country was annexed by Nazi Germany in AD 1939. In addition to the regular versions with the minting year, a special jubilee edition of 1,000 numbered coins was also released.

The AD 1931 issue saw a total production of 43,482 coins, with details for other years available in the accompanying table:

On October 28, AD 1918, Czechoslovakia was established following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, based on the principles of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points after World War I. The new nation comprised two main ethnic groups: Czechs and Slovaks. During the interwar period, Czechoslovakia was the most developed and democratic country in Central Europe.

However, facing the rise of Nazi Germany, Czechoslovakia was forced to cede the Sudetenland under the Munich Agreement in AD 1938, despite not being present at the negotiations. Shortly after, the state was reorganised into the Second Republic. On March 15, AD 1939, Nazi Germany fully invaded and partitioned the country into the “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia” and the “Slovak Republic,” remaining divided until the end of World War II.

物件編號: A1151

年代: 公元 1931 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 19.9 x 19.8 x 0.5 mm

重量: 3.5 g

製造地: 斯洛伐克，克雷姆尼察造幣廠

來源: 昆克 2024

這是一枚鑄造於公元1931年，捷克斯洛伐克第一共和國用作黃金儲備的無面額達克特金幣。

錢幣正面周圍環繞一珠圈，正中央為捷克斯洛伐克的盾牌國徽，由象徵捷克「波希米亞雙尾獅」，和獅子胸前代表斯洛伐克「大主教十字和克里萬山」小盾牌共同組成，盾牌左右兩側以菩提樹葉為飾。外緣是捷克文拼寫的國名「REPUBLIKA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ」，下緣是飾以幾何圖案的鑄造年份「1931」。

錢幣背面亦有一道珠圈，正中央是全副戎裝，手扶旌旗和鷹徽盾牌的捷克民族英雄「聖溫塞斯拉斯」半身像。

聖溫塞斯拉斯為中世紀普熱米斯爾王朝的波希米亞公爵，生前為虔誠的基督徒和積極建設布拉格，遇刺身亡後被教會尊封為聖人。人像的雙手兩側各有「O.S.」和「B.」印記，分別是錢幣共同設計者：雕塑家奧塔卡·斯潘尼爾(Otakar Španiel)和畫家雅羅斯拉夫·本達(Jaroslav Benda)姓名縮寫。外圍是聖溫塞斯拉斯座右銘「NEDEJ·ZAHYNOUTI·NÁM·I·BUDOUCÍM」，意思是「不要讓我們和未來的人滅亡」。

公元1923年，負責捷克斯洛伐克全國鑄幣的克雷姆尼察造幣廠，向全國公開徵求達克特金幣的設計圖，最後由奧塔卡·斯潘尼爾和雅羅斯拉夫·本達共同抱回兩萬捷克克朗獎金。自公元1923年，捷克斯洛伐克開始鑄造聖溫塞斯拉斯達克特，直到公元1939年遭到納粹德國併吞為止。除了帶有鑄造年份的版本外，還有首發一千枚帶有發行編號的禧年版。公元1931年的發行量為43,482枚，其餘年份詳見表格：

公元1918年10月28日，捷克斯洛伐克按照《威爾遜十四點原則》在第一次世界大戰戰敗國奧匈帝國的廢墟建國，國內有捷克和斯洛伐克兩大族群，並且是戰間期的中歐國家中發展最高和民主程度最高的國家。然而面對鄰近的納粹德國崛起，公元1938年捷克斯洛伐克在缺席《慕尼黑協議》情形下，被迫割讓蘇臺德地區，不久改組為第二共和國。然而在公元1939年3月15日，面對納粹的全面入侵被分割為「波希米亞和摩拉維亞保護國」和「斯洛伐克共和國」直到第二次世界大戰結束。