Austrian Netherlands 1788(a) liard
This specimen was lot 970 in Jean Elsen sale 156 (Brussels, September 2023), where it sold for €160 (about US$205 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Joseph II (1780-1790), Cu liard, 1788, Bruxelles. D/ B. l. et dr. à d. R/ Inscription en quatre lignes. Fleur de Coin. (duchy of Brabant, Joseph II, 1780-90, copper liard of 1788, Brussels mint. Obverse: laureate and draped bust right; reverse: inscription in four lines. Uncirculated.)"
The lower, Catholic part of the Netherlands was Spanish until 1714, when it passed to the Austrians, who lost it to Revolutionary France in 1797. After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Belgium passed to the king of the Netherlands. This type is listed for 1781-82 and 1787-89 and is common. The angel face on the reverse is the Brussels mintmark. Four liards = one sol, 54 sols = one kronenthaler.
Recorded mintage: 1,185 (probably a misprint for 1,185,000).
Specification: 3.75 g, copper, this specimen 3,17 g.
Catalog reference: KM 30, W. 1153; V.H. 857.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 156, Collection de Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2023.
Link to: