Tournai 1585 couronne d'or Fr-386
This specimen was lot 782 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €13,000 (about US$16,905 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"TOURNAI, Seigneurie, Philippe II (1555-1598), AV couronne d'or, 1585. Sans les armes de Portugal. D/ Croix fleurdelisée, cantonnée de deux lions et de deux briquets. R/ Ecu couronné, accosté de P-P. De la plus haute rareté. Tranche irrégulière. Superbe. (lordship of Tournai, Philip II, 1555-98, gold crown of 1585, without the arms of Portugal. Obverse: floriate cross cantonned with two lions and two firesteels; reverse: crowned arms divide the royal monograms. Extremely rare, irregular edge, Extremely Fine.)
Les armes de Portugal furent ajoutées dans l'écu de Philippe II à partir de 1585 dans nos régions. A Tournai, la modification des armoiries ne fut effective qu'en 1586, la couronne d'or y fut d'ailleurs frappée aux deux types. (The arms of Portugal were added to the shield of Philip II from 1585 in our regions. In Tournai, the modification of the coat of arms was not implemented until 1586; the gold crown was minted there in both types.)"
By 1586, the revolt of the southern provinces had been crushed. The Spanish rulers, among other things, restored the old écu Philippe and its fractions and struck them to the end of the reign. By this time, king Philip had added Portugal to his domain, so that shield was added to the arms on most of the coinage. For some reason, it was omitted on this couronne d'or.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold; this specimen 3,41 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-386, G.H., Suppl., 209-14a; Delm-435; Hoc -; VH 297.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Delmonte, A., Le Bénélux D'or, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman N.V., 1964, with supplements to 1977.
- 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 158, Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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