Brabant (1383) 1/4 gros
This specimen was lot 641 in Jean Elsen sale 161 (Brussels, March 2025), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,432 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Jeanne et Wenceslas (1355-1383), AR quart de gros dit "labbaye", janvier 1383, Louvain. D/ Écu écartelé de Brabant, Limbourg et Luxembourg. R/ + MON-ETA L-OVAN-IENS Croix pattée coupant la légende, cantonnée de D-V-X-C. Extrêmement rare. (duchy of Brabant, Jeanne and Wenceslas, 1355-83, silver quarter groat so-called "labbaye", struck January 1383, Louvain mint. Obverse: quartered arms of Brabant, Limburg and Luxembourg; reverse: cross pattée divides the legend, cantonned with "D-V-X-C". Extremely rare, Fine - Very Fine.)"
Jeanne (1322-1406) was duchess of Brabant from 1355. She married Wenceslas of Luxembourg in 1356 but the pair were ejected from Brabant by Louis II of Flanders. Wenceslas went off to fight his neighbors in Germany and Jeanne was eventually restored to Brabant. Louis' daughter Margaret married the duke of Burgundy. On Jeanne's death in 1406, the duchy passed to Margaret's son Antoine of Burgundy, uniting the provinces of Flanders and Brabant.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: billon, this specimen is 0,55 g.
Catalog reference: Ghyssens p. 16, 9; W. 407.
- 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 161, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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