Artois 1624 1/4 patagon
This specimen was lot 1283 in Jean Elsen sale 153 (Brussels, December 2022), where it sold for €500 (about US$ including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ARTOIS, Comté, Philippe IV (1621-1640), AR quart de patagon, 1624, Arras. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Très rare. Très Beau. (county of Artois, Philip IV, 1621-65, silver quarter patagon of 1624, Arras mint. Obverse: Burgundian cross under a crown, supporting the jewel of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Very rare, very Fine.)"
Patagons were issued in the Spanish Netherlands and associated states (including the bishopric of Liège and Franche Comte) during the seventeenth century, where they competed with French écus, German talers and Dutch daalders and ducatons. Fractional patagons are much less often encountered. The type shown here was struck at the Arras mint 1624-26 and 1634-35 for Philip IV of Spain. Artois was occupied by the French in 1640 and ceded to them in 1659 and the mint was briefly used to strike French coins. The SCWC notes the Flemish patagons as the most common, followed by the Brabant issue, tho none are plentiful today. The series is plagued by bad planchets and poor strikes, reducing their appeal to collectors.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 7.03 g, 0.875 fine silver; this specimen is 6,64 g.
Catalog reference: KM 5, G.H. 331-7; Delm-314; Dewismes 243; V.H. 647.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- van Gelder, H. Enno, and Marcel Hoc, Les Monnaies des pays-Bas Bourguignons et Espagnols, 1434-1713, Amsterdam, J. Schulman, 1960, with supplement of 1964.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 153, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
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