Flanders 1633 ducaton Dav-4446
This specimen was lot 1280 in Jean Elsen sale 163 (Brussels, November 2025), where it sold for €1,400 (about US$1,617 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"VLAANDEREN, Graafschap, Philips IV (1621-1665), AR dukaton, 1633, Brugge. Eerste type. Vz/ Bb. r., met brede kraag. Kz/ Gekroond wapenschild gehouden door twee leeuwen. Onderaan het juweel van het Gulden Vlies. Minieme barstjes in de muntplaat. Scherp portret. Zeer zeldzaam in deze kwaliteit. (county of Flanders, Philip IV (1621-65). silver ducaton of 1634, Bruges mint, first type. Obverse: bust with ruffed collar; reverse: crowned arms supported by two lions, jewels of the Order of the Golden Fleece below. Minor planchet defects, sharp portrait, very rare in this quality, about Extremely Fine.)
Ducatons were issued in the Spanish Netherlands and associated states (including the bishopric of Liège and Franche Comte) during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, where they competed with French écus, German talers and Dutch daalders and patagons. The type shown here was struck at the Bruges mint 1622 and 1631-36. A very similar coin was struck for Artois (Dav-4448), Brabant (Dav-4443) and Tournai (Dav-4450). The series is plagued by bad planchets and poor strikes, reducing their appeal to collectors.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 32.48 g, 0.944 fine silver, .985 troy oz ASW, this specimen 32,51 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-4446, KM 35, G.H. 327-6a; Delm. 276; VH 640.
- 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 163, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2025.
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