Ducats were first issued by Venice in the late 13th century. From there they spread over the Levant and Europe and, being popular trade coins, were struck by numerous coin authorities over time.
The Czechoslovakian Republic issued ducats as international trade coins from 1923 to 1938. One face bore the national coat of arms with the Bohemian lion, the other Saint Wenceslas, the Czech patron saint. In the 1960s, ducats were squeezed out of the market by standardized gold bullion coins of 1 Troy ounce of gold. Despite of this, however, they are issued in some countries as gifts and for collectors up to this day.