Brabant (1557-60) real d'or Fr-64

Jean Elsen sale 121, lot 784

This specimen was lot 784 in Jean Elsen sale 121 (Brussels, June 2014), where it sold for €1,900 (about US$3,043 including buyers' fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe II (1555-1598), AV réal d'or, s.d. (1557-1560), Anvers. Au titre de roi d'Angleterre. Légende du droit débutant à 1h. Droit: B. cuirassé et couronné à droite. Revers: Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Fines griffes dans le champ. presque Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Philip II (1555-98), gold "real d'or" without date (1557-60), Antwerp mint, with the title of king of England. Obverse legend begins at 1:00 o'clock. Obverse: armored and crowned bust to right; reverse: crowned arms with the Order of the Golden Fleece around. Fine scratches in the fields, about extremely fine.)"

Brabant, originally part of the Burgundian inheritance, fell to the Hapsburgs on the death of the last duke of Burgundy in 1477. On the emperor Charles's abdication in 1555, the Hapsburg inheritance was divided between the Austrian and Spanish branches, and the Netherlands passed to Philip II, a dour and unbending Catholic. His attempts to extirpate heresy caused the northern provinces to rise in revolt and, after many years of struggle, secure their independence as the United Provinces. The southern provinces, including Brabant, remained Catholic and loyal to king Philip. This type is known with and without "ANG REX" in the obverse legend, marking the king's brief marriage to Mary of England. It was struck at Antwerp (shown here) and Maastricht (Fr-65). The Spanish Hapsburgs ruled Brabant until 1700, fending off repeated attempts by the king of France to annex it. The area is now part of Belgium.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: gold, this specimen 5,34 g.

Catalog reference: G.H., 206-1a; Delm-109; W., 696, Fr-64.

Source:

Delmonte, A., Le Bénélux D'or, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman N.V., 1964, with supplements to 1977.
Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
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 121, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2014.

Link to:

Brabant (1557-60) real d'or Fr-64

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