Brabant 1572(h) 1/10 ecu

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Jean Elsen sale 158, lot 530
Brabant in 1559, from Shepherd's atlas

This specimen was lot 530 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €130 (about US$169 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe II (1555-1598), AR dixième d'écu Philippe, 1572, Anvers. D/ B. cuir. à d. R/ Croix de Bourgogne couronnée. Petites taches de vert-de-gris. Très Beau à Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Philip II, 1555-98, silver tenth écu Philippe of 1572, Antwerp mint. Obverse: armored bust left; reverse: crowned Burgundian cross. Small stains of verdigris, Very Fine - 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. The écu Philippe was introduced in 1557 and struck for a few years, then dropped in 1567 for the écu de Bourgogne, then reintroduced in 1571-72 and struck in that form until the end of the reign. This type represents a very early experiment with decimal coinage, over a century before Russia adopted her hundred kopeks = one ruble. The écu Philippe was issued in divisions of one half, one fifth, one tenth and one twentieth. The Spanish Hapsburgs ruled Brabant until 1700, fending off repeated attempts by the king of France to annex it. The province is now part of Belgium.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver; this specimen 3,35 g.

Catalog reference: G.H. 213-1b; W. 729; VH 308.

Source:

  • 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 158, Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.

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