Brabant 1631(a) 1/2 patagon
This specimen was lot 1016 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €80 (about US$111 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR demi-patagon, 1631, Bruxelles. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Écu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Petit éclat sur la tranche. presque Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip IV, 1621-65, half patagon of 1631, Brussels mint. Obverse: Burgundian cross below a crown, decorated with the jewels of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Small edge crack, about 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 1622-56 at the Antwerp mint (hand mintmark), Brussels (angel face mintmark, shown here), s'Hertogenbosch and Maastricht. 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.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14.05 g, 0.875 fine silver, 35 mm diameter; this specimen 13,77 g.
Catalog reference: KM 46.6, G.H. 330-3; Delm. 303; W. 1027; 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 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
Link to:
- 1631 patard, Brussels mint
- 1631 quart de patagon, Brussels mint
- 1631 demi-patagon, Antwerp mint
- Tournai 1631 1/2 patagon
- 1631 patagon, Antwerp mint
- 1631 ducaton, Brussels mint
- 1631 patagon, Maastricht mint
- 1631 ducaton, Antwerp mint
- Tournai 1631 patagon
- 1631 double ducaton, Brussels mint
- 1631 triple ducaton, Antwerp mint
- 1632 demi-patagon, Brussels mint
- 1633 demi-patagon, Antwerp mint
- 1633 demi-patagon, Brussels mint
- Coins and currency dated 1631