Burgundy 1631 patagon Dav-4472
This specimen was lot 790 in Jean Elsen sale 138 (Brussels, September 2018), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,527 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCHE-COMTE, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR patagon, 1631, Dole. Différent: étoile (?). 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. De la plus haute rareté Nettoyé. Très Beau à Superbe. (free county of Burgundy, Philip IV, 1621-65, silver patagon of 1631, Dole mint, privy mark star. Obverse: crowned Burgundian cross with the jewel of the Order of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Extremely rare, cleaned, very fine to extremely fine.)"
This coin is listed by the SCWC under France but should be filed with Spanish Netherlands. The type was struck 1622-39. It is much scarcer than Antwerp issues but is awarded little premium.
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 1622-65 and at the Maastricht mint 1625-31. A very similar coin was struck for Flanders (Dav-4464), Luxembourg (Dav-4468) and Tournai (Dav-4470). The SCWC notes the Flemish issues as the most common, followed by the Brabant issue, tho none are plentiful today. The series is plagued by bad planchets and poor strikes, reducing their appeal to collectors.
Franche Comte was originally part of the Burgundian inheritance. When the native dynasty lapsed in 1477, the lands were partitioned between the king of France and the Hapsburgs. The duchy of Burgundy fell to France and the county of Burgundy (later called Franche Comte) to the Hapsburgs and then to the Spanish Hapsburgs. Long coveted by the French kings, the county finally fell to Louis XIV in the late 1670's and incorporated into the royal domain. Besançon, the capital, became the site of a French mint (mintmark "CC").
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver; this specimen is 28,04 g.
Catalog reference: KM 15, G.H., Suppl., 329-8c (unlisted); Delm-299 (unlisted); Dole -; V.H. 645 DL (unlisted), Dav-4472.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- 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 138, Collection A. BLONDEL, Collection M. HENDRICKX, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2018.
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