Cambrai (15)95 20 patards
This specimen was lot 25003 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $1,560. The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE. Wars of Religion. Siege of Cambrai. 20 Patards, (15)95. PCGS AU-58 Brown. Siege: 8 April - 7 October 1595. Irregular octagonal uniface flan with crowned arms of France in center flanked by date (9-5); Legend: HENRICO PROTECTORE; Central stamp flanked by individual punches "XX" and "P" with the arms of Montluc below. This lovely and beautifully preserved example displays rich brown patina with areas of lighter coloration and hints of original mint red in the crevasses. Usually encountered in well-worn condition with environmental damage, this piece is leagues better than what is normally observed in the market. Each punch is bold and deeply impressed, though the central stamp is slightly double-struck and rotated, on a nicely preserved planchet. Aside from a few minor abrasions the surfaces are smooth and glossy adding to its pleasing appearance and originality. Seldom encountered in the superior quality, it is sure to catch the attention of discerning collectors.
When the French occupied Cambrai in 1595, the bishop whose loyalty lay with the Spanish king deserted the city. In his departure he took money, war supplies and a small armed force. When the advancing Spanish forces discovered that the bishop had fled they surrounded the city. Preparing for the onslaught the governor of the city, Jean de Montluc, and his wife began strengthening the fortifications enabling the besieged city to repel the invading forces on several occasions. As the siege progressed tension within the city towards the French increased. The inhabitants harbored mistrust of the occupying French and were quite agitated by the debased coinage the Governor issued to pay troops; the intention being able to redeem them at full value after the siege. Eventually the inhabitants led an uprising and opened the gates to the city to welcome the Spanish ultimately resulting in French surrender on 7 October 1595."
Cambrai is now in France, in the department of the Nord. In the sixteenth century, it was still part of the Netherlands. Wikipedia comments,
"Cambrai from 1512 was part of the Imperial Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle and – like the Prince-Bishopric of Liège – was not incorporated into the Seventeen Provinces of the Burgundian Circle. Nevertheless, the creation in 1559 of the new metropolitan See of Mechelen and of eleven other dioceses in the Southern Netherlands was at the request of King Philip II of Spain, in order to facilitate the struggle against the Reformation. The change greatly restricted the limits of the Diocese of Cambrai, which, when thus dismembered, was made by way of compensation an archiepiscopal see with the dioceses of Saint Omer, Tournai and Namur as suffragans. The councils of Leptines, at which Saint Boniface played an important role, were held in what was then the part of the former Diocese of Cambrai in the Southern Netherlands."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper, this specimen 7.21 g, 35.5 mm x 30.7 mm.
Catalog reference: Korchnak-141; Mailliet-pl. XXII #13; Vanhoudt-568; MO-4.8.5.1.
- Korchnak, Lawrence C., Siege Coins of the World, 1453-1902, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, 2021.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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