Looking For Some Info On This Coin ????

HI , I am not sure of the origin or the value of this coin . some help in this area would be greatly appreciated. The date is circa 1670.
Thanks again ,, Maurice
The coins diameter is 44mm

 

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coin carry messages

It is pretty easy to read

CAROL II D G HISP ET INDIE REX
Charles II by God's Grace Spain's and India's King.

On the reverse, the coin declares him to be the ruler of Burgandy, Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria.

The D G (dei gratia) is the same as on United Kingdom coinage. It's a pretty common title. By "India" they meant "America." The Indies East and West were not sorted out for many years ... certainly not in the minds of the Spanish royal family.

 

Size and weight determine value

How big is the coin?

It looks to be about the size of a quarter and as thin as a dime, which makes it either a Reale or a 2 Reales, depending on its actual diameter.

The coin has been harshly cleaned in the past, of course, nominally lowering its value.

Also, someone who knows these well might correct me, but this seems to be a European issue, not from the American mints.

And, I'd guess $30 retail... but people buy and sell this stuff all over the range, from $10 to $100.

 

coin size

the diameter is 44mm

 

2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar!

Big coin! Dollar-sized crown, call it 8 Reales, make it a $100 retail value at least, and better have someone else give you a reliable opinion from a recent catalog.

 

I don't have an up to date KM, but I can tell you that the Ducaton in question was issued for the area known as Brabant in the Low Countries (witnessed by the BRAB in the reverse legends). The same design was also issued for the Flanders area, the only difference being that the reverse legends read FLAN. There was a similar issue for Artois too I believe (?)

This particular issue is notoriously crude (badly prepared flans and usually badly struck at that). Those issued under Phillip IV are a lot more classy in comparison.

Here's one from my own collection, but from Flanders. Is there a KM # for it Doug?




As to value, i'm a bit out of touch with what these are going for so i'll go with the flow on that, but I paid around $60 for that one of mine back in 2000 (my how time flies!). Maybe I was lucky.

Ian

 

Thanks for the KM reference Doug.

I used to have a two vol reference on the Lowlands Patagons, Ducatons and Double Ducatons, (can't even remember the author now!) but as I wasn't a serious collector of these coins, I made a gift of them to a deserving collector in Michigan. No great loss though, because I have some Elsen catalogues (which are probably the best pictorial source for coinage of that region anyway) . I'll dig them out and look through them tomorrow. Of course the examples you see in Elsen's usually tend to be high grade so price indication is still very hit and miss.

 

The Elsen cat no 67 (sept 2001) has two ducatons listed for Brabant. the first is just a teeny bit better condition than the op's, and dated 1668 (Anvers mint). The estimate was 350 euros. The second is a piedfort example (very rare) of the same date but from Brussels mint. It's valued at circa 2,400 euros.

The Elsen cat no 59 (sept 1999) has lots more ducatons in it including a 1670. There is an example in it of a 1668 in nigh on identical condition to the one in cat no 67, but it is valued at only 150 euros. That is, the coin appears to have appreciated by 200 euros in only two years!(?)! The 1670 one is also valued at 150 euros.

By the way, the conditions are described as `tres beau a superbe' ie VF to as good as they get. As an indicator, about the same as the one in the image I supplied. Haven't seen any Flanders ones in the catalogues though ;-).

I also had a quick look through my Rauch and Nurnberger catalogues, but didn't see any worth mentioning.

Ian