Brabant 1592(h) 1/5 ecu
This specimen was lot 862 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €110 (about US$153 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe II (1555-1598), AR cinquième d'écu Philippe, 1592, Anvers. D/ B. cuir. à d. R/ Écu couronné avec écusson de Portugal sur le tout, sur une croix de Bourgogne, entre deux briquets, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. Rare. Tache au revers. presque Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip II, 1555-98, silver fifth écu Philippe of 1592, Antwerp mint. Obverse: armored bust right; reverse: crowned arms with the escutcheon of Portugal over a Burgundian cross, between two firesteels supporting the jewels of the Golden Fleece. Rare, stain on the reverse, about Very Fine.)"
By 1586, the revolt of the southern provinces had been crushed. The Spanish rulers, among other things, restored the old écu Philippe and its fractions and struck them to the end of the reign. In 1580, king Philip added Portugal to his domain, so that shield was added to the arms. The Eighty Years War was still in progress but most of the action in 1592 was in Luxembourg and the north.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.85 g, 0.333 fine silver, 30 mm diameter; this specimen 6,72 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 212-1c; W. 835; VH 367.
- 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 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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