Brabant (1339) esterlin
This specimen was lot 704 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €220 (about US$306 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Jean III (1312-1355), AR esterlin au lion, décembre 1339, Anvers. D/ + MONETA: ANWPENSIS Lion rampant à g. R/ + IOHANES: DVX: BRABAN' Croix pattée. Rare. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, John III, 1312-55, silver esterlin of the lion, December 1339, Antwerp mint. Obverse: lion rampant left; reverse: cross pattée. Rare, 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 states an esterlin was one-third of a gros.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.8-1.2 g, billon; this specimen 0,94 g.
Catalog reference: Ghyssens p. 13, 7; W. 368.
- 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 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
Link to:
- (1337-55) esterlin au châtel, Maastricht mint
- (1337) gros au châtel brabançon, Jean III
- Brabant (1338) 1/2 gros au type anglais, Jean III, Antwerp mint
- (1339) gros au lion, Jean III
- (1343) demi-gros en billon noir, Jean III
- Brabant (1344) gros au quadrilobe, Jean III
- (1355-83) mite, Jeanne and Wenceslas
- (1357-63) gros au lion
- Coins and currency dated 1339