Brabant (1312-55) 1/3 gros
This specimen was lot 600 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €100 (about US$138 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Jean III (1312-1355), tiers de gros au saint Pierre en billon noir, Louvain. D/ B. de saint Pierre ten. une clé, au-dessus de l'écu écartelé de Brabant-Limbourg. R/ Croix longue et fleuronnée. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, John III, 1312-55, third groat of St. Peter in black billon, Louvain mint. Obverse: bust of St. Peter holding a key, below, the quartered arms of Brabant and Limburg; reverse: long floriate cross. Very Fine.)"
Jean III succeeded to the duchies of Brabant and Limburg in 1312, when he was twelve years old. Altho neighboring Flanders was economically tied to Brabant, it was ruled by a separate dynasty. Jean's line fell extinct in 1406 and the duchy became a Valois appanage. Numista shows the full groat (Witte 357) but not this third groat.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1 g, billon, this specimen 0,95 g.
Catalog reference: Ghyssens p. 14, 11; W. 358.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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