Wedding ducats in the Balkans

Especially in the Balkans and Southern and Eastern Europe, it is still customary to give gold coins to the newlyweds at weddings.

In Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, but also in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria, the Austrian 4-fold ducat is the traditional gold gift. Still from k. u. k. The conviction that the gold ducat coin, often referred to as the gold zechine, with the image of Emperor "Franjo Josip" can hold together the assets of the wedding couple even in unstable times, dates back to imperial and royal times.

Austrian 4 ducat as a traditional gift

In many different wedding traditions, the Austrian quadruple ducat has survived to this day. Be it in the form of a dowry, as a gift from parents or as a wedding gift from the wedding party.

At the wedding ceremony itself, in many regions of the Balkans, the bride comes to each guest to greet them personally and receive congratulations. The maid of honor is then present with a tray on which an apple lies. In this apple is already a gold ducat, which the bride's parents have saved for the couple. The guests are also asked to put a gold piece in the apple or on the tray.
In other regions, the gold coins are artfully made into jewelry and magnificent necklaces that almost cover the entire bride. In Bosnia, on the other hand, it is customary for a gold ducat to be incorporated into the bride's belt as a gift from the bride's father to his daughter.
The custom of "selling the bride" is also still found in some regions in Southern and Eastern Europe. The groom, together with bride's suitors , comes to the bride's house to negotiate with the bride's father or brother a price - today, of course, symbolic. This bride price is usually agreed in gold zechins.

Often in Southern and Eastern Europe, it is also a matter of honor and an expression of social and wealth status how much to give to the bride and groom. Since the entire wedding party is watching, and no one wants to "lose face," a wedding gift means quite a hole in the budget for many of the bride and groom's related families. Not infrequently, even loans are taken out for this purpose.

Fake quadruple ducats

But ATTENTION! Due to the high desirability of the quadruple ducat in the Balkans, there are consequently also very many forgeries sold in these countries! The fakes range from clumsy fakes made of brass, which are slightly thicker than the original, to fakes made of 750 (18 carat) gold, which are difficult to identify. From our many years of experience we know that the counterfeiting workshops are mainly located in Serbia and distribute their goods through Romania, Turkey and the former Yugoslav states, and this is how they come to us.

If you are not sure whether you are actually holding a genuine gold piece, you can try to check its authenticity yourself. However, it is better to have your piece examined by a professional. Only precious metal handlers have the technical equipment and the experience to recognize even well forged gold coins. Even jewelers often lack the necessary expertise in gold coins.

Do not hesitate to come with your piece to one of our branches in Vienna. Gold&Co. managing director Walter Hell-Höflinger is a sworn and court certified expert for precious metals and among other things specialized in gold counterfeiting.

Buy real gold wedding ducats

Even if you want to buy guaranteed genuine gold ducats as a wedding gift, we invite you to come to one of our two branches. We sell Austrian 1x and 4x ducats at top prices. Currently we buy and sell gold ducats at the following prices:

Like the prices of other gold bullion coins, the price is subject to the development of the general gold rate.