View source for Austrian Netherlands 1776(a) 1/2 souverain d'or Fr-138

[[Image:JE158-0713.jpg|550px|thumb|Jean Elsen sale 158, lot 713]]

This specimen was lot 713 in Jean Elsen sale 158 (Brussels, March 2024), where it sold for €6,500 (about US$8,452 including buyer's fees). The catalog description<sup>[1]</sup> noted, <blockquote>"''BRABANT, Duché, Marie-Thérèse (1740-1780), AV souverain, 1776 (sur 1775), Bruxelles. Troisième type. D/ B. voilé à d. R/ Ecu ovale d'Autriche-Bourgogne, couronné, sur une croix de Bourgogne. Extrêmement rare. Fines traces d'ajustage. Superbe.'' ([[Austria, Austria-Netherlands|duchy of Brabant]], Maria Theresia, 1740-80, gold souverain of 1776, 1776/5 overdate, Brussels mint, third type. Obverse: veiled bust right; reverse: crowned oval arms of Austria-Burgundy over a Burgundian cross. Extremely rare, fine adjustment marks, Extremely Fine.)"</blockquote> The souverain denomination was a holdover from Spanish rule in the seventeenth century and was struck until the collapse of the ancien regime. This style was struck 1770-77 at Brussels. To mark the death of Francis I in 1765, the empress's bust was modified to show her in a veil. The SCWC notes a 1776/5 overdate for the year. The Austrians lost Belgium to Revolutionary France in 1797. 

''Reported Mintage:'' 24,000.

''Specification:'' 5.53 g, 0.919 fine gold, 0.163 troy oz AGW; this specimen 5,55 g. 

''Catalog reference:'' Fr-138, KM 26, W. 1138 (unlisted date); Delm-218 (unlisted date); VH 812. 

''[[Bibliography|Source:]]''
* Delmonte, A., ''Le Bénélux D'or,'' Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman N.V., 1964, with supplements to 1977.
* 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.
* Michael, Thomas, ''Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed.,'' Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016. 
* <sup>[1]</sup>Elsen, Philippe, et al., ''Vente Publique 158, Monnaies de la Principauté de Liège'', Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.

''Link to:''
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1775(a) kronenthaler Dav-1282|1775 kronenthaler, Brussels mint, Maria Theresia]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1775(a) 1/2 souverain d'or Fr-138|1775 ''demi-souverain d'or'', Brussels mint]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1776(a) liard|1776 liard, Brussels mint]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1777(a) liard|1777 liard, Brussels mint]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1777(a) 2 liards|1777 2 liards]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1777(a) 14 liards|1777 14 liards]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1777(a) kronenthaler Dav-1282|1777 kronenthaler, Brussels mint, Maria Theresia]]
* [[Austrian Netherlands 1777(a) 1/2 souverain d'or Fr-138|1777 ''demi-souverain d'or'', Brussels mint]]
* [[Coins and currency dated 1776]]

[[Category:Selections from Jean Elsen sale 158]][[Category:Coinage of the Dutch provinces]]