Brabant 1643(h) escalin
This specimen was lot 653 in Jean Elsen sale 162 (Brussels, June 2025), where it sold for €240 (about US$333 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR escalin, 1643, Anvers. Épreuve (?) en cuivre argenté. D/ Lion deb. à g., ten. une épée et un écu ovale d'Autriche-Bourgogne. R/ Écu couronné sur une croix de Bourgogne. Très rare. Griffes. Pour un autre exemplaire, voir notre vente 54, 15 juin 1998, 1664. (duchy of Brabant, Philip IV, 1621-65, silver escalin of 1643, Antwerp mint. Pattern in silvered copper. Obverse: lion rampant left, brandishing a sword and supporting the arms of Austria-Burgundy; reverse: crowned arms over a Burgundian cross. Very rare, scratches, Very Fine.)"
This type was struck at Antwerp (hand mintmark, shown here), Maastricht (star mintmark) and Brussels (angel face mintmark) 1621-57, as well as Tournai, Burgundy and Luxembourg. Brussels was the only mint which struck escalins for circulation in 1643. It was called a schelling in the north and was worth six stuivers. Common in low grade, it is very scarce choice.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 5.26 g, 0.582 fine silver, 29 mm diameter, this specimen 5,01 g.
Catalog reference: KM 52.1, G.H. -; W. -; VH -.
- 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 162: Collection Jacques Druart, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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