Brabant 1621(a) ducaton Dav-4428
This specimen was lot 1115 in Jean Elsen sale 153 (Brussels, December 2022), where it sold for €3,600 (about US$4,552 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Albert et Isabelle (1598-1621), AR ducaton, 1621, Bruxelles. D/ B. accolés des archiducs à d. R/ Ecu couronné, tenu par deux lions, au-dessus du bijou de la Toison d'or. Quelques taches. Superbe. Provient de Jean Elsen, novembre 1987. (duchy of Brabant, Albert and Isabella, 1598-1621, silver ducaton of 1621, Brussels mint. Obverse: accolated busts of the archdukes right; reverse: crowned arms, supported by two lions, with the jewels of the Golden Fleece. Some marks, Extremely Fine.)"
Ducatons were issued in the Spanish Netherlands and associated states (including the bishopric of Liege 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 Antwerp mint 1618-19 and at the Brussels mint 1618-21. A very similar coin was struck for Tournai (Dav-4430). The SCWC notes the Brussels issues as the most common, followed by the Antwerp issue, tho none are plentiful today. 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, this specimen 32,51 g.
Catalog reference: KM 49.2, G.H. 309-3; Delm. 249; W. 961; V.H. 617.
- 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 153, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
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