Austrian Netherlands 1791(a) liard
This specimen was lot 1022 in Jean Elsen sale 135 (Brussels, December 2017), where it sold for €180 (about US$249 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Léopold II (1790-1792), Cu liard, 1791, Bruxelles. D/ B. l. et dr. à d. R/ Inscription en quatre lignes. Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Leopold II, 1790-92, copper liard of 1791, Brussels mint. Obverse: draped and laureate bust to right; reverse: four line inscription. Extremely fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 868 in Jean Elsen sale 159 (Brussels, June 2024), where it sold for €130 (about US$167 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Léopold II (1790-1792), Cu liard, 1791, Bruxelles. D/ B. l. et dr. à d. R/ Inscription en quatre lignes. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Leopold II, 1790-92, copper liard of 1791, Brussels mint. Obverse: draped and laureate bust to right; reverse: four line inscription. Very fine.)"
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 1791-92 and is common, tho a little scarcer than the liard of Joseph II. The angel face on the reverse is the Brussels mintmark. Four liards = one sol, 54 sols = one kronenthaler.
Recorded mintage: 480,000.
Specification: copper, the first specimen 3,96 g, the second specimen 3,67 g.
Catalog reference: KM 52, W. 1166; VH 879; Jaeckel 89.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 135, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2017.
- [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 159, Collection Harry Dewit, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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