Brabant (1490-92) 1/2 gros
This specimen was lot 764 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €170 (about US$237 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe le Beau (1482-1506), AR demi-gros, s.d. (1490-1492), Anvers. Au titre de Maximilien de Habsbourg. D/ Armes d'Autriche-Bourgogne en plein champ. R/ Croix fleuronnée, A en coeur. Très rare. Faiblesse de frappe. presque Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip the Fair, 1482-1506, undated half groat, circa 1490-92, Antwerp mint, struck in the name of Maximilian of Hapsburg. Obverse: arms of Austria-Burgundy in a plain field; reverse: floriate cross, an "A" in the center. Very rare, weakly struck, about Very Fine.)"
Philip the Fair succeeded to the duchy of Burgundy, which included Brabant, in 1482, on the death of his mother. His father, Maximilian, ruled as regent until his marriage in 1496. He attempted to claim the throne of Spain on the death of Isabella of Castile, his mother-in-law, but was thwarted by Ferdinand of Aragon. Philip died in 1506 without ever becoming king of Spain or Holy Roman Emperor, titles held by his son, Charles V. This type shows the hand mintmark for Antwerp.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.05 g, 0.375 fine silver; this specimen 0,97 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 86-1b; W. 581; VH 111.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- van Gelder, H. Enno, and Marcel Hoc, Les Monnaies des pays-Bas Bourguignons et Espagnols, 1434-1713, Amsterdam, J. Schulman, 1960, with supplement of 1964.
- [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.
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