Ghent 1583 8 stuiver
This specimen was lot 1057 in Jean Elsen sale 159 (Brussels, June 2024), where it sold for €380 (about US$488 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"VLAANDEREN, Gent in opstand tegen Philips II (1581-1584), AR acht stuiver, 1583. Vz/ ·AVXIL· NOST· A·- DOMINO· Gentse maagd, hoofd n. r., met leeuwenschild en banier met de leeuw. Kz/ (leeuw) ·MON· ARG· CIVITATIS· GANDAV· 1583· Klimmende leeuw n. l. Zeldzaam. bijna Zeer Fraai. Uit onze veiling 67, 15 september 2001, 1593. (county of Flanders, city of Ghent in rebellion against Philip II, 1581-84, silver eight stuivers of 1583. Obverse: Ghentish maid, head right, with lion shield and banner; reverse: lion rampant left, date above. rare, about very fine.)"
This type was issued during one of Ghent's many revolts against outside authority. Ghent was already declining in importance when the rebellion started but never recovered her position after Philip II devastated it in 1584. Her harbor silted up and trade shifted to the north. Roberts comments, "The mite of Flanders was valued at 1/24 gros or 1/8 of an English penny.... The mite of Brabant was valued at only 1/36 gros, making its 4-mite piece 1/3 of a penny."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 6,52 g.
Catalog reference: Gilleman 28; Martiny, Gent, 175-2; VH 447.
- 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 159, Collection Harry Dewit, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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