Brabant 1637(h) 1/2 patagon
This specimen was lot 1014 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €120 (about US$167 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR demi-patagon, 1637, Anvers. 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. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip IV, 1621-65, half patagon of 1637, Antwerp mint. Obverse: Burgundian cross below a crown, decorated with the jewels of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. 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, shown here), Brussels (angel face mintmark), s'Hertogenbosch and Maastricht (star mintmark). A very similar coin was struck for Flanders and Tournai. 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 14,05 g.
Catalog reference: KM 46.4, G.H. 330-1; Delm. 301; W. 1008; 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:
- 1636 demi-patagon, Antwerp mint
- 1637 patagon, Antwerp mint
- 1637 half ducaton, Brussels mint, older bust
- 1637 patagon, Brussels mint
- 1637 ducaton, Antwerp mint
- 1637 ducaton, Brussels mint
- 1637 double souverain d'or, Brussels mint, older bust
- 1637 double souverain d'or, Antwerp mint, ruffed bust
- 1638 demi-patagon, Brussels mint
- 1639 demi-patagon, Antwerp mint
- Coins and currency dated 1637