Liege 1784 patagon Dav-1590
This specimen was lot 1327 in Jean Elsen sale 117 (Brussels, June 2013), where it sold for €850 (about US$1,340 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"LIEGE, Principauté, Siège vacant (1784), AR écu (patagon) au saint Lambert, 1784, 150 p. frappées. Droit: B. mitré du saint à gauche. Revers: Cartouche couronné aux armes de la principauté, sur un manteau d'hermine. Rare. Très Beau à Superbe. (Liege, sede vacante, silver écu of Saint Lambert of 1784, 150 pieces struck. Obverse: mitred bust of saint to left; reverse: crowned, mantled arms of the principality. Rare, very fine to extremely 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. 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 1784 during the interval of the death of Francis Charles de Velbruck and the elevation of Constantin de Hoensbroek. The SCWC notes it as rare. The issue of patagons ceased after 1716 (Dav-1581) except for some issues of sede vacante patagons.
Recorded mintage: 150.
Specification: silver, this specimen 27,68 g.
Catalog reference: KM 176, Dav-1590, Chestret-700; Dengis, 1192; Delm-489.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Jean-Luc Dengis, Les Monnaies de la Principauté de Liege, 3 vols. Wetteren: Moneta, 2006.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, Vente Publique 117: Collection Jean-Jacques Symoens, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses fils, S.A., 2013.
Link to: