Brabant 1600(h) 4 florin Dav-A8641

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Jean Elsen sale 153, lot 1101

This specimen was lot 1101 in Jean Elsen sale 153 (Brussels, December 2022), where it sold for €19,000 (about US$24,024 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"BRABANT, Duché, Albert et Isabelle (1598-1621), double florin, 1600, Anvers. Piéfort en argent. D/ B. affrontés des archiducs. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. De la plus haute rareté. Très Beau à Superbe. Provient de la collection Fürstenberg, vente Nomisma, Zürich, 26 février 1934, 581, de Nussbaum, Zürich, 22 mai 1939 et de notre vente 87, 11 mars 2006, 264. Voir l'agrandissement sur la couverture. (duchy of Brabant, Albert and Isabella, 1598-1621, double florin of 1600, Antwerp mint, silver piefort. Obverse: facing busts of the archdukes; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Very rare, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"

A la fin de sa vie, Philippe II conçut le projet de rendre leur apparente souveraineté aux Pays-Bas espagnols en les cédant à sa fille Isabelle, qu'il projetait de marier à l'archiduc Ernest d'Autriche, gouverneur des Pays-Bas. Ce dernier étant décédé en 1595, il fut remplacé par son frère Albert d'Autriche, cardinal de Tolède et vice-roi du Portugal. Ayant quitté les ordres, l'archiduc Albert épousa l'infante d'Espagne en 1599, quelques mois après la mort de Philippe II. Il poursuivit la guerre contre les Provinces-Unies, sans grand succès si ce n'est la prise d'Ostende après un siège de trois ans. Une trêve de douze ans fut finalement conclue en 1609. Dès le début du règne des archiducs, le système monétaire des Pays-Bas fut entièrement réformé. Les monnaies d'or furent frappées dans le système du ducat: double ducat, tiers de ducat (ou albertin) et double tiers (ou double albertin, valant 5 florins). Quant aux monnaies d'argent, elles furent frappées jusqu'en 1603 dans le système du florin. (At the end of his life, Philip II conceived the project of turning over rule of the Spanish Low Countries to his daughter Isabella, whom he planned to marry to Ernest of Austria, governor thereof. Ernest died in 1595 and was replaced by his brother Albert of Austria, cardinal of Toledo and viceroy of Portugal. After quitting holy orders, Albert married the princess in 1599, a few months after the death of Philip II. He continued the war against the United Provinces, without much success except for the capture of Ostend after a siege of three years. A truce of twelve years was finally concluded in 1609. At the beginning of their reign, the monetary system was completely reformed. Gold coins were struck on the ducat system, with double ducats, one-third ducats (or albertin) and two-thirds ducats (or double albertin). Silver coins were struck on the florin system until 1603.)"

This type was struck in 1600 at Antwerp. Regular double florins, which are rare but not extremely rare like this presentation piece, were struck at Antwerp and Maastricht. They are catalogued as Dav-8941 for 1600 and Dav-4422 for 1601. They were part of the coinage reform of Albert and Isabella which attempted to revive the devastated Spanish Netherlands.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 54.16 g, 0.833 fine silver, this specimen 61,12 g.

Catalog reference: G.H. 286-1a (note); W. 899 (note); Delm-231a (illustrated as n° 231); V.H. 584, Dav-A8641.

Source:

  • Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1484-1600, Frankfurt: Numismatischer Verlag, 1977.
  • 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 153, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.

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