Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Groat 'Kromstaart' - John the Fearless
| Issuer | Flanders, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1418-1419 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Within a beaded inner circle, a rampant lion passant to the left occupies the central field, rendered in the vigorous Gothic style typical of Flemish medieval coinage. The lion holds on its flank the quartered shield of Burgundy-Flanders, a heraldic detail identifying the issuing authority. The beast displays prominent claws and a stylized mane, with the tail characteristically curved — the feature that gives the 'Kromstaart' (curved tail) type its name. A circular beaded border separates the central device from the surrounding circumferential legend. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A long cross pattee extends to the edge of the coin, its arms intersecting the circular legend and dividing the reverse field into four quadrants. In the angles formed by the arms of the cross appear the letters F, L, A, and D` — an abbreviated reference to Flandria (Flanders). The cross is rendered in a bold Gothic style consistent with Flemish hammered coinage of the early fifteenth century. A beaded inner circle frames the cross, and the circumferential legend runs between this inner circle and the coin's irregular outer edge. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
John the Fearless struck this issue during the final, politically volatile years of his rule over Flanders — a period defined by his open alliance with the English and his orchestration of the murder of Louis of Orléans in 1407, which had fractured the French royal court into Burgundian and Armagnac factions. The "Kromstaart" type takes its popular name from Flemish — roughly "crooked tail" — referring to a distinctive feature of the design that made it immediately recognizable in local commerce.
John was assassinated on the bridge at Montereau in September 1419, making this one of the last coinages struck under his authority.