Brabant 1632(h) 1/2 patagon
This specimen was lot 458 in Jean Elsen sale 138 (Brussels, September 2018), where it sold for €90 (about US$125 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Philippe IV (1621-1665), AR demi-patagon, 1632, Anvers. D/ Croix de Bourgogne sous une couronne, portant le bijou de la Toison d'or. R/ Ecu couronné, entouré du collier de la Toison d'or. Très Beau. (duchy of Brabant, Philip IV, 1621-65, silver half patagon of 1632, Antwerp mint. Obverse: crowned Burgundian cross, bearing jewels of the Order of the Golden Fleece; reverse: crowned arms, Order of the Golden Fleece around. Very fine.)"
Patagons 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 ducatons. The type shown here was struck at the Antwerp mint 1622-56 (hand mintmark, shown here) and at Brussels, s'Hertogenbosch and Maastricht. A very similar coin was struck for Flanders. Altho the half and quarter patagons are much scarcer than the patagons, they bring less at auction. The series is plagued by bad planchets and poor strikes, reducing their appeal to collectors.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 14.05 g, .875 fine silver; this specimen is 13,70 g.
Catalog reference: G.H. 330-1; Delm. 301; W. 1008, KM 46.1.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- van der Wis, Jan, and Tom Passon, Catalogus van de Nederlandse Munten geslagen sind bet aantreden van Philips II tot aan het einde van de Bataafse Republiek (1555-1806), 2nd ed., Apeldoorn, Netherlands: Omni-Trading b.v., 2009.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 138, Collection A. BLONDEL, Collection M. HENDRICKX, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2018.
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