Brabant 1692(a) 2 souverain d'or Fr-119
This specimen was lot 3141 in Sincona sale 43 (Zürich, October 2017), where it sold for 7,500 CHF (aboout US$8,950 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BELGIUM | Brabant, Herzogtum, Charles II. 1665-1700 2 Souverain dor 1692. Brüssel. Sehr selten. Fast vorzüglich. Kleiner Schrötlingsfehler. (duchy of Brabant, Charles II, 1665-1700, double souverain d'or of 1692, Brussels mint. Very rare, About extremely fine, Minor planchet defect.)"
This scarce and expensive type was struck 1689-94 at Brussels and 1697-1700 at Antwerp. The feeble reign of Charles II, the last of the Spanish Hapsburgs, was a disaster for Belgium, as the region was repeatedly invaded and devastated by the armies of Louis XIV. The turmoil did not end with Charles' death, as the powers of Europe fought a fourteen year war over partitioning the Hapsburg empire. In 1714, Belgium passed to Austria to keep it out of the hands of the French.
Recorded mintage: 7,096 for 1692-94.
Specification: 11.06 g, 0.919 fine gold; this specimen 11.16 g.
Catalog reference: KM 101.1, Delm-192. Fr-119 (listed under Belgium).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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.
- 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]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 43, Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, Zurich: Sincona AG, 2017.
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