LHS-Numismatik
(formerly Leu)

225a

GH
40-1c

Groschen
(Bausche)

Outer:
+MONETA(*NOVA(*MOLHEM

Inner:
+AN'*M*CCCC*LXXXII

Outer:
*HERMANNI·ARCHIEPI·COLONIEN'

Inner:
+TVRON'-TVICN' 

Outer:
SIT*NOMEN*DOMINI*BENEDICTVM

Inner:
+AN'M*CCCC*LXXXII 

241

GH
52-1c

+MONETA:DVC:AVST:LOT:BRA':LI:ZE

+SALVV:FAC:PPLM:TVV:DNE:A°:1482

241a

GH
52-1a

245

GH
52-1b

Outer:
+MONETA(*NOVA(*MOLHEM 

Inner:
A'·M·CCCC·LXXXIIII

The 36mm diameter, 15.5g half guldiner was a revolutionary coin. No silver coin of its weight had been seen since ancient times and it is in some ways the coin that marks the end of the traditional medieval coin era. While medieval-styled coins would persist for another 40-50 years, they gradually gave way to Renaissance-styled designs and became measured in value against the new guldiners and thalers. Sigismund himself, who was a rather miserable politician and ruler, was diligent if not entirely visionary in implementing his coinage reforms (the Venetians had been experimenting with larger weight coins for a while). It began in earnest in 1477 with his issuance of a goldgulden with his own portrait to celebrate his ascension to Archduke status in Austria. In 1479 he began minting the Sechser of six kreuzer value, then 1482 a larger 12 kreuzer coin that is called the Pfundner. In 1486 he would issue what became the ne plus ultra of his reform, the Guldengroschen of an unheard of 60 kreuzers that had a value equivalent to the Goldgulden.

A Pfundner of Sigismund, c. 1482

A Sechser of Sigismund, c. 1480

·SIGISMVNDVS:*:ARCHIDVX·
AVSTRIE·

For its day, the portrait of Sigismund is an excellent likeness. Many medieval coins never bothered to give any more than a passing likeness of the ruler or monarch. In the early and mid-1400s the Italians began to issue portrait coins with likenesses formerly seen only on medals. This idea rapidly swept Europe and even states that didn't date coins began to use portraits. Even in Scotland, a fine 3/4 profile portrait of James III can be seen on his groats.

(Shields of his domains) 1486

The knight on the horse is Sigismund himself! He was an accomplished tournament jouster and his suit of armor is on display in Austria.

Diameter: 42mm, Weight: 31.7g, this is the piece that revolutionized European coinage for the next 380 years. It is the first circulation coin to ever attain this size and weight, and it later developed into the Thaler. Shown are two of the major varieties, there are numerous others, including another major obverse variety with a simply ugly portrait of Sigismund.

How much are these fantastic pieces going for? Well, even a terribly worn example is over $1000. The two above? The rarer top variety sold for an astonishing $22,000! The lower more common example went for "merely" $13,300.

284

GH
68-1c

Upper coin:
MO·......RE·Z·PHI·ARDV·AV·F·B

Lower coin:
MO·ARGT·RC·RG·Z·PHI·AR'DV·AV·BG·B

A unique coin unknown until just recently, this piece is of great historical interest!

FROM JEAN ELSEN'S SALE CATALOGUE #87, (translated by Google and cleaned up by your humble webmaster):
At the end of the year 1488, the towns of Brussels and Leuwen joined the revolt of the towns of Flanders against Maximilian of Habsburg, who had become extremely unpopular because of his despotic government and the new impositions which it claimed to finance the war with France. The conflict degenerated into civil war, the towns of Flanders also receiving the support of the Inhabitants of Liège of the party of Marck. On its side, Maximilian could engage of the German troops sent by his father, the emperor Frederick III. It also profited from the support of the cities and the hostile provinces to the hegemony of the towns of Flanders: Antwerp, Malignant, Hainaut, and the Namurian ones. To mark its independence, the town of Ghent solicited from the king of France, suzerain of the county of Flanders, the authorization to mint coins with the only name of Philippe the Beautiful. Brussels and Leuwen, even if they were not part of the empire, minted some in the same way: one struck in Brussels of the parts to the type of Saint Michael and in Leuwen with Saint Pierre, the respective owners of the two cities. In the advertisement of the peace concluded between Maximilian and Charles VIII of France, Brussels and Leuwen, which had suffered from a great epidemic of plague (the chronicles speak about 33,000 dead in Brussels) made allegiance with the regent at the end of 1489. The towns of Flanders resisted longer but they also had to beseech the forgiveness of Maximilian and to pour 300,000 ecus of gold (1491). The civil war did not cease therefore. Rebellious troops, locked up in small fortified towns, refused to be subjected and the last rebel locale, the Lock, finally capitulated in 1492. This double patard of 1488 was unknown until Jean Elsen's Sale #87, the few specimens preserved carrying all the date 1489. It should be noted that the specimen of the Cabinet of the Medals of Brussels was obviously struck by means of a corner of regravé reverse, on which the date 1488 was modified in 1489. To go back the emission to 1488 with more precision, it should be held account owing to the fact that one still used at the time the style of Easter. The year 1488 "old style" thus began at Easter, April 6, 1488, and ended following at Easter, April 18, 1489. As we know that the magistrate of Leuwen decided to reopen the monetary workshop at the beginning of February 1489, the striking of this double patard can be located only between the beginning of February and the end of April 1489 of our calendar.

331a

GH
83-1

331b

GH
85-1a

Outer: BENEDICTVS*DEVS*IN*
SECVLA*SECV

Inner: GROS'TV-ICIE-1489

338