Brabant 1629(s) 1/2 patagon
This specimen was lot 813 in Jean Elsen sale 159 (Brussels, June 2024), where it sold for €550 (about US$706 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR demi-patagon, 1629, Maastricht. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Rare. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip IV, 1621-65, silver half patagon of 1629, Maastricht mint. Obverse: Burgundian cross under a crown, bearing the jewel of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, order chain around. Rare, very fine.)"
Patagons were issued in the Spanish Netherlands and associated states (including the bishopric of Liège and Franche Comte) during the seventeenth century, where they competed with French écus, German talers and Dutch daalders and ducatons. The type shown here was struck at the Antwerp mint 1622-56 (hand mintmark), Brussels (angel face mintmark), s'Hertogenbosch (tree mintmark) and Maastricht (star mintmark, shown here). A very similar coin was struck for Flanders. Altho the half and quarter patagons are much scarcer than the patagons, they bring less at auction. The series is plagued by bad planchets and poor strikes, reducing their appeal to collectors. The city of Maastricht, on the banks of the Meuse or Maas river, is actually not in Brabant but in the duchy of Limburg. However, the obverse legend "BVRG·BRAB·Zc" indicates that the coinage was intended to circulate in Brabant.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14.05 g, 0.875 fine silver, this specimen 13,99 g.
Catalog reference: KM 46.4, G.H. 330-2; Delm-302; W. 1034; VH 646.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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 159, Collection Harry Dewit, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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