Brabant 1574(h) 1/2 ecu

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Jean Elsen sale 158, lot 528
Brabant in 1559, from Shepherd's atlas

This specimen was lot 528 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €200 (about US$260 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe II (1555-1598), AR demi-écu Philippe, 1574, Anvers. D/ B. cuir. à g. R/ Ecu couronné sur une croix de Bourgogne, entre deux briquets, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. Rare. Fines griffes. Petites taches. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip II, 1555-98, silver half écu Philippe of 1574, Antwerp mint. Obverse: armored bust left; reverse: crowned arms over a Burgundian cross between two firesteels supporting the jewels of the Golden Fleece. Rare, small scratches and stains, Very 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 16,80 g.

Catalog reference: G.H. 211-1a; Delm-51; W. 719.

Source:

  • 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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