Liege (1560) 2-1/2 patards
This specimen was lot 1089 in Jean Elsen sale 156 (Brussels, September 2023), where it sold for €190 (about US$244 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIEGE, Principauté, Robert de Berghes (1557-1564), AR demi-sprenger, s.d., Liège ou Hasselt. D/ L'écu de l'évêque surmonté d'un heaume à cimier. R/ Croix feuillue et ornée, coupant la légende. Rare. Légers défauts de flan. presque Très Beau. Provient de la collection A. Symkens, 25 novembre 1991. (principality of Liège, Robert de Berghes, 1557-64, undated silver half sprenger, Liège or Hasselt mints. Obverse: helmeted arms of the bishop; reverse: ornate leafy cross cutting the legend. Rare, light planchet defects, about Very Fine.)"
The bishopric of Liège was an ecclesiastical state in central Belgium and usually ruled by a Hapsburg client. The surrounding territory was ruled by the Spanish Hapsburgs from about 1500 until 1699 and the Austrian Hapsburgs 1714-97. This denomination was not used again in this state.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen is 3,75 g.
Catalog reference: Chestret 507; Dengis 918.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 156, Collection de Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2023.
Link to: