Brabant 1684(a) ducaton Dav-4481
This specimen was lot 1078 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €2,400 (about US$2,998 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"BRABANT, Duché, Charles II (1665-1700), AR ducaton, 1684, Bruxelles. Troisième type. D/ B. âgé à d., cuirassé, les cheveux longs. R/ Ecu couronné, tenu par deux lions, orné du bijou de la Toison d'or. Rare Légère faiblesse de frappe au revers. Très Beau à Superbe. (duchy of Brabant, Charles II, 1665-1700, silver ducaton of 1684, Brussels mint, third type. Obverse: aged bust right with long hair; reverse: two lions support large crowned royal arms, decorated with the Order of the Golden Fleece. Rare, slightly weakly struck on the reverse, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
This type was struck at Brussels and Antwerp 1682-84 and is rare. 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 fifteen 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: unknown.
Specification: 32.48 g, 0.944 fine silver, this specimen is 32,36 g.
Catalog reference: KM 103.2, G.H. 348-2c; Delm-336; W. 1075; V.H. 696, Dav-4481.
- 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 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
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