Brabant 1499 florin d'or Fr-46
This specimen was lot 1463 in Jean Elsen sale 145 (Brussels, September 2020), where it sold for €1,300 (about US$1,852 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe le Beau (1482-1506), AV florin d'or au saint Philippe, 1499, Anvers. Troisième type. D/ Saint Philippe de f., ten. une longue croix, les Evangiles et devant lui l'écu d'Autriche-Bourgogne sans couronne. R/ Croix fleuronnée, un lion en coeur, les cantons ornés de fleurons. Rare. Très Beau. Provient de Sotheby, Londres, mars 1983. Appelé à succéder à son père sur le trône impérial, Maximilien de Habsbourg abandonna la régence des Pays-Bas et son fils fut solennellement inauguré en 1494. En mai 1496, une refonte du monnayage des Pays-Bas fut décidée. Le florin de Bourgogne, frappé sans altération de la fin du règne de Philippe le Bon jusqu'à la minorité de Philippe le Beau, fut remplacé par ce florin au saint Philippe, au titre sensiblement affaibli (16 carats de fin au lieu de 19). Le florin était ainsi dévalué de 18 %. (duchy of Brabant, Philip the Fair, 1482-1506, gold florin of St. Philip of 1499, Antwerp mint, third type. Obverse: St. Philip standing, facing, holding a long cross and the Gospels, before him the arms of Austria and Burgundy without crown; reverse: floriate cross, a lion at the center, cantonned with florettes. Rare, Very Fine. Called to succeed his father on the imperial throne, Maximilian of Habsburg abandoned the regency of the Netherlands and his son was solemnly inaugurated in 1494. In May 1496, an overhaul of the minting of the Netherlands was decided. The florin of Burgundy, struck without alteration from the end of the reign of Philippe le Bon until the minority of Philippe le Beau, was replaced by this florin with St. Philip, with a significantly weakened fineness (16 carats fine instead of 19). The guilder was thus devalued by 18%.)"
This type was also struck without date. We note similar coins from Holland (Fr-133) and Flanders (Fr-201). It was issued during the reign of Philip the Fair, son of Maximilian of Austria, and served as the transition between Burgundian and Hapsburg rule.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.666 fine gold, this specimen 3,30 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 115-1a; Delm-85; W. 597; Levinson II-144; V.H. 145; Fr-46.
- Delmonte, A., Le Bénélux D'or, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman N.V., 1964, with supplements to 1977.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 145, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2020.
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