Brabant 1496 toison d'argent
This specimen was lot 688 in Jean Elsen sale 159 (Brussels, June 2024), where it sold for €550 (about US$706 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe le Beau (1482-1506), AR toison d'argent, 1496, Anvers. D/ Ecu couronné d'Autriche-Bourgogne sur une croix feuillue. R/ Le bijou de la Toison d'or sous deux briquets. Très Beau à Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Philip the Fair, 1482-1506, silver toison of 1496, Antwerp mint. Obverse: crowned arms of Austria-Burgundy over a leafed cross; reverse: two firesteels support the jewels of the Golden Fleece. Very fine to extremely fine.)"
Toison d'argent, meaning "silver fleece", refers to the sheep's fleece shown on the reverse. Said fleece was a badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, a chivalric order founded by the dukes of Burgundy, who ruled Brabant until their extinction in 1477. The Hapsburgs adopted the badge on the death of Charles the Rash in 1477. This very early dated coin is known for 1496-99. This coin was issued by the Burgundian prince Philip the Fair. His son, Charles V, would unite Austria and Spain.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.40 g, 0.879 fine silver, this specimen is 3,33 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 110-1; W. 605; VH 140; Levinson II-136.
- Levinson, Robert, The Early Dated Coins of Europe, 1234-1500: An Illustrated Catalogue and Guide to dated medieval coinage. Clifton, NJ: Coin & Currency Institute, 2007.
- 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 159, Collection Harry Dewit, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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