Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 46

The Millennia Collection

Belgium

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 519		Belgium -- The Brabant. (Low Countries). Pieter d'Or, ND (Louvain). Fr-11; Delm.-43; deWitte-390. 4.10 grams. Jeanne & Wenceslas, 1355-1383. St Peter facing, holding key (to the kingdom of Heaven), quartered shield of arms before, all within poly-lobed tressure. Reverse: Ornate cross fleury, rose at center. Mint State. Sharp, problem-free strike, one of the few ever seen with full facial details on Saint Peter. Choice surfaces with areas of deeper gold and reddish toning at the peripheries. Splendid late Medieval art. NGC graded MS-64. Brabant is by far the most important part of southern Belgium, and Antwerp (a diamond and banking center) was part of medieval Brabant. The term "Low Countries" refers to the low-lying lands stretching from Belgium through the Netherlands, all the way to Schleswig Holstein. This coin is a study in numismatic symbolism. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,750
Lot 520		Belgium -- The Brabant. Double Souverain, ND (Antwerp). Fr-91 (80); Delm-147. Albert and Isabella of Spain, 1598-1621. Duke and Dutchess seated, facing, on thrones. Reverse: Crowned crest within chain. Rare, and the obverse image here is virtually unique among coins, possible only on a coin of great size, and difficult to strike up (as indeed the lower portions of the dual image proves), a handsome piece having residual luster and excellent surfaces, for the soft metal. NGC graded AU-58. Habsburg Spain gained complete control of the region through the skilled services of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who was installed as governor-general. A capable adversary against the Protestants, he succeeded in holding the southern provinces for Roman Catholicism, and crushing Protestantism in the key southern cities of the province, especially that of Antwerp. Philip II of Spain gave his oldest daughter, Isabel, in marriage to her cousin, Archduke Albert, and set the couple up as joint sovereigns of the Low Countries. Their stewardship was rather moderating and conciliatory, for it improved and restored conditions for their subjects. Nevertheless conflicts continued. While the Flemish areas looked to the Archduke and Duchess for stability, the Dutch were determined to retain their independence. In 1609, after years of land skirmishes, and coastal blockades by the Dutch, the couple acceded to a truce with the United Provinces that left the Dutch free of Spanish interference (although it lasted only eleven years). Unfortunately for their subjects, the couple died without issue, and the lands reverted once more to the Spanish crown, and the territory's fortunes were tied into Spain's slow decline. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,520
Lot 521		Belgium -- Flanders (Low Countries). Franc a Cheval (Cavalier d'Or), ND (Ghent, struck 1361-1364). Fr-156 (99); Gaill.-212; Delm.-458; Coll. Vernier 10-11. 3.51 grams. Louis de Maele, 1346-1384. Knight in full regalia, wielding sword, on galloping horse with heraldic mantle left. Reverse: Cross fleury within double quadrilobe frame. Essentially As Struck with a detailed strike, somewhat "shadowy" on the horseman, mainly from the style of engraving, the flan large and full without cracks, complete legends right to the outer top letters, all clearly readable, surfaces choice with only small abrasions in the soft gold. All in all, a particularly charming specimen. Rare. NGC graded AU-58. In the Middle Ages the two main centers of economic activity were northern Italy and the Low Countries. While the Italians embraced the entire compass of trade, in the Low Countries, by contrast, the cities were industrial and manufacturing centers, and vast quantities of foreign coins poured into the area. In this situation, the money-changers were an essential and important component of the economy. With numerous national and imitative coins, not to mention periodically debased or inflationary coinages, banking became a complicated profession, and was so much on the collective conscious mind that the banker or money-changer became one of the most popular subjects in the repertoire of Flemish painters. This marvelous coin, much like the paintings of money-counters of this era, is a classic of this period of transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Estimated Value $1,700 - 1,900. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,013
Lot 522		Belgium -- Flanders (Low Countries). Gouden Gehelmde Leeuw, or Lion d'Or, ND (Ghent, struck c. 1370). Fr-157; Gaill.-214; Delm.-460; Coll. Vernier 13. 5.41 grams. Louis de Maele, 1346-1384. Lion seated left within ornate gothic baldaquin, wearing crowned helmet with elaborate lion-headed crest; in exergue FLANDRES. Reverse: Cross fleury with "D" at center, "F-L-A-N" letters within the angles, all within poly-lobed tressure. Choice, Mint State with a detailed strike, on a full large flan, again with fully legible and complete legends. Rare; an exceptional piece. NGC graded MS-63. Brussels is the main city of Flanders in the northern part of modern-day Belgium, while Ghent has always been one of the more picturesque spots of the region, a place where diplomats would meet -- where, for instance, the treaty ending the war between Great Britain and United States was signed in 1812. Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,290
Lot 523		Belgium -- Flanders (Low Countries). Chaise d'Or, ND (Ghent). Fr-163; Gaill.-218; Delm. 466; Coll. Vernier 20. 4.48 grams. Louis de Maele, 1346-1384. Ruler on ornate gothic throne facing, holding upright sword and hand resting on shield having lion within, all within gothic poly-lobed tressure. Reverse: Cross fleury with voided quatrefoil at center, fleur-de-lis at the angles, all within quatre-lobe tressure. A gorgeous example, glowing with reddish gold luster and blessed with an especially even, crisp strike. Obverse die shows a touch of light die rust. Scarce this nice. NGC graded MS-64. The reign of Louis of Maele was one of the more stable and lengthy stewardships among those of his contemporaries. With prosperous Flanders benefiting in particular from the English wool trade, and generally awash in incoming foreign currency, local coinage in gold became vital. The Chaise d'Or was the final, and longest enduring, issue of Louis' large gold coins, although it was a bit on the light side -- averaging roughly 4.5 grams. His coin types were mostly imitative of earlier or contemporary French examples. However, the Lion d' Or was unique to Louis' artistic visions and was, incidentally, the heaviest of his gold issues. Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000. Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 78. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,038
Lot 524		Belgium - Flanders. Cavalier d'or, ND (Ghent). Fr-183; Delm-487. Philippe Le Bon (Philip The Good), 1419-1467. Ruler on horse. Reverse Arms on cross. Struck on a large flan. An extraordinary perfect specimen in every respect. NGC graded MS-62. Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000. ().* View details and enlarged photos	Realized $6,900
Lot 525		Belgium -- Flanders (Low Countries). Gouden Leeuw, or Lion d'Or (Bruges, struck 1454-1460). Fr-185; Gelder/Hoc 3-2; Delm.-489; Coll. Vernier-41. 4.22 grams. Philip the Good, 1419-1467. Roaring lion seated left within ornate gothic dais. Reverse: Quartered arms of Flanders and Bourgogne supported on cross fleury. Excellent, detailed strike, far sharper than most known pieces. In vigorous style; lustrous and a really Choice example. NGC graded MS-62. Philip, known as "the Good," was not particularly good in a moral sense. He vowed to go on a crusade to the Holy Land but never went. He recognized the claims of the English in France, then betrayed his alliance and supported the French king. Then he went against the French king, Charles VII, and supported his rebellious son, the Dauphin, later to become Louis XI. What he did accomplish through his machinations was to double the size of his territory. Perhaps "the Clever" would have been a more appropriate name. His coinage here is among the more exquisite issues of the age. Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000. Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 86. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $5,750
Lot 526		Belgium. Lion d' Or of 14 Florins, 1790 (Brussels). Fr-402; Delm.-221; Witte-1155; KM-51. 8.32 grams. Insurrection of the United Belgians, 1790-1792. The Belgian Lion standing left, head turned right, holding sword and shield inscribed "LI BER TAS". Reverse: Rayed Sun encircircled by the coats of arms of the eleven rebellious provinces. A wonderfully even, detailed strike. Lustrous to matte devices on reflective fields; both dies already showing light breaks. Some trivial abrasions scattered in the fields, nevertheless an especially fine example of this rarity. Even rarer in this grade. Handsome rich gold toning, with light areas of red. NGC graded MS-64. Belgium was at this time under the control of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who alienated the Belgians to the point of rebellion. Ironically, soon after the lands were re-conquered, they were taken by Napoleon's armies. The symbolism here makes it a marvelous piece from the Age of Revolution. Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000. Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 130. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $10,063