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1/2 Silver Real - Charles V
| Issuer | Duchy of Brabant |
|---|---|
| Year | 1521-1556 |
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| Currency | Gulden (1506-1713) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central field features the crowned quartered arms of the Habsburg-Burgundian inheritance, displaying the complex composite shield of Charles V's dynastic territories arranged in multiple quarters within a beaded inner circle. The shield is surmounted by an imperial crown. The circumferential legend DA MICHI VIRTVTE CONTRA HOSTES TVOS, a devotional Latin inscription meaning 'Give me strength against Thine enemies,' encircles the design within a beaded border. The lettering is rendered in the Gothic-influenced style characteristic of Brabantine hammered coinage of the early sixteenth century. The irregular flan and slightly off-center strike are consistent with the hammered technique employed at the Antwerp and Maastricht mints during this period. |
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| Additional information |
Charles V inherited Brabant as part of the Burgundian Netherlands before his election as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, and the duchy's mints — principally Antwerp and Maastricht — operated under imperial oversight throughout this period. The 1520s and 1530s saw repeated monetary ordinances attempting to standardize billon coinage across the Habsburg Low Countries, as rampant counterfeiting and coin degradation by competing territories made small denomination silver nearly unusable in commerce.
The .458 fineness places this squarely in the debased range mandated for fractional issues, a pragmatic concession to the enormous demand for small change in Antwerp's booming commercial economy.