Austrian Netherlands 1749(h)R souverain d'or Fr-130
The first specimen was lot 40040 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $5,520. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRIAN NETHERLANDS. Souverain d'Or, 1749. Antwerp Mint. Maria Theresa. PCGS MS-62 Gold Shield. Large Planchet (27 mm) variety. An attractively detailed and lustrous example with blushes of orange tone on both sides that aid the appearance." The second specimen was lot 653 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €4,000 (about US$5,201 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Marie-Thérèse (1740-1780), AV double souverain, 1749, Anvers. Premier type. Tranche laurée. D/ B. dr. et couronné à d. R/ Ecu échancré d'Autriche-Bourgogne, couronné, sur une croix de Bourgogne. Belle couleur. Avec brillant de frappe. Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Maria Theresia, 1740-80, gold double souverain of 1749, Antwerp mint, first type, laureate edge. Obverse: draped and crowned bust right; reverse: crowned arms of Austria and Burgundy over a Burgundian cross. Nice color, with mint luster, Extremely Fine.)"
The coin was raised to a double souverain d'or in the 1780's, doubling its value. The "(h)" in the page title refers to the hand mintmark on the reverse, signifying Antwerp; a lion was used for Bruges. On the death of Charles VI in 1740, the redoubtable Maria Theresia was crowned Archduchess of Austria and queen of Hungary but, being a woman, could not be given the imperial crown. Therefore, after much debate and a war fomented by Frederick the Great of Prussia, her husband Francis of Lorraine was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1745.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 11.06 g, 0.919 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-130 (under Belgium); KM-11, W. 1112; Delm-208; VH 802.
- Delmonte, A., Le Bénélux D'or, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman N.V., 1964, with supplements to 1977.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
- [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 158, Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
Link to:
- 1726 souverain d'or, Antwerp mint, Charles VI
- 1749 liard, Antwerp mint
- 1749 2 liards, Antwerp mint
- 1749 escalin, Antwerp mint
- 1749 huitième de ducaton, Antwerp mint
- 1749 demi-ducaton, Antwerp mint
- 1749 ducaton, Antwerp mint
- 1749 demi-souverain d'or, Antwerp mint
- 1750 souverain d'or, Antwerp mint
- 1750 souverain d'or, Bruges mint
- Coins and currency dated 1749