Artois 1640 patagon Dav-4466
This specimen was lot 711 in Jean Elsen sale 115 (Brussels, December 2012) where it sold for €950 (about US$1,450 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ARTOIS, Comté, Philippe IV (1621-1640), AR patagon, 1640, Arras. Droit: Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. Revers: Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Extrêmement Rare. Ex HSA 2513. La dernière monnaie d'argent frappée en Artois sous la domination espagnole. Arras fut assiégée par l'armée française le 13 juin 1640 et capitula le 8 août 1640. Louis XIII nomma le duc de Chaulnes gouverneur de la ville. L'atelier monétaire ne fut pas fermé, il fut maintenu pour frapper les types royaux: écu d'or, demi-franc, quart et huitième d'écu. Très Beau. (county of Artois, Philip IV (1621-65), silver patagon of 1640, Arras mint. Obverse: Burgundian cross below a crown, with the jewels of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Extremely rare, very fine. This is the last coin struck in Artois under Spanish rule. Arras was besieged by the French army in June 1640 and surrendered in August. Louis XIII named the duke of Chaulnes governor of the city. The mint was not closed, being maintained to strike royal types, such as écu d'or, half francs and quarter and eighth écus.)"
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. The type shown here was struck at the Antwerp mint 1622-65 (hand mintmark) and at the Arras mint 1623-35. A very similar coin was struck for Flanders (Dav-4457). The SCWC notes the Flemish issues 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: 28.10 g, 0.875 fine silver; this specimen is 27.72 g.
Catalog reference: G.H., Suppl., 329-7; Dewismes, -; Delm-298, Dav-4466, KM 4 (unlisted date).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- 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 115: Collection Huntington, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2012.
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