Brabant 1686(a) patagon Dav-4498
The first specimen was lot 1083 in Jean Elsen sale 144 (Brussels, March 2020), where it sold for €1,400 (about US$1,845 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Charles II (1665-1700), AR patagon, 1686, Bruxelles. Nouveau type frappé au balancier. Tranche lisse. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, accostée du monogramme royal, ornée du bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Extrêmement rare Petit coup sur la tranche. Beau à Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Charles II, 1665-1700, silver patagon of 1686, Brussels mint, new type struck on the press, plain edge. Obverse: Burgundian cross below a crown divides the royal monogram, decorated with the jewels of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Extremely rare, small edge nick, Fine - Very Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 1069 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €650 (about US$905 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Charles II (1665-1700), AR patagon, 1686, Bruxelles. Nouveau type frappé au balancier. Tranche inscrite. Frappe médaille. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, accostée du monogramme royal, ornée du bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Extrêmement rare. légers défauts de flan. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Charles II, 1665-1700, silver patagon of 1686, Brussels mint, new type struck on a screw press, lettered edge, medal rotation. Obverse: Burgundian cross below a crown divides the royal monogram, decorated with the jewels of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Extremely rare, light planchet defects, Very Fine.)
C'est sous le règne de Charles II que la frappe mécanique fut imposée dans les ateliers des Pays-Bas espagnols, malgré l'opposition du serment des monnayeurs et du maître général. Une première émission au balancier eut lieu dans l'atelier de Bruxelles en 1686-1688, on en revint ensuite à la frappe au marteau avant que l'usage du balancier ne soit définitivement imposé en 1691. Les patagons de 1686 ont normalement la tranche inscrite. Les patagons au nouveau type ont la tranche lisse à partir de 1687. Voir M. Colaert, Les patagons de Charles II (1665-1700). Nouvelles variantes, dans BCEN 20 (1983), p. 16-17. (It was during the reign of Charles II that milled coinage was mandated in the mints of the Spanish Netherlands, despite opposition from the guild of minters and the Master General. A first issue struck by screw press took place at the Brussels mint in 1686–1688; a return to hammered coinage followed, before the use of the screw press was definitively mandated in 1691. The patagons of 1686 typically feature an inscribed edge. Patagons of the new type feature a plain edge starting in 1687. See M. Colaert, "Les patagons de Charles II (1665–1700): Nouvelles variants", in BCEN 20 (1983), pp. 16–17.)"
This type, which is quite scarce, is listed for Antwerp and Brussels 1686-1700. It superseded the hammered type (Dav-4491) struck heretofore. The ducatons from this period of Charles' reign are also rare, suggesting the increased impoverishment of the Spanish Netherlands under French attack and decrepit Hapsburg rule.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 28.10 g, 0.875 fine silver, the first specimen 28,12 g. The second specimen is 27,74 g.
Catalog reference: KM 81.1 (hammered) or KM 107.2 (machine struck), G.H. 350-2c var.; Delm-350; W. 1083 var.; V.H. 713, Dav-4498.
- 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.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 144, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2020.
- [2]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: