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1 Groot - Charles V
| Issuer | Brabant, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1542-1556 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.83 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the quartered crowned arms of Austria-Burgundy, combining the heraldic devices of the Habsburg and Burgundian inheritances within an elaborate crowned shield. The composite coat of arms displays multiple quarterings including lions and fleurs-de-lis, rendered in the bold, somewhat stylized manner typical of mid-sixteenth-century Low Countries hammered coinage. A beaded inner circle frames the armorial device, while the surrounding legend in Gothic-influenced Latin characters runs continuously along the coin's periphery between two concentric borders. The overall composition is characteristic of Habsburgian imperial coinage struck in the Low Countries during the reign of Charles V. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | CAROLVS D G RO IMP HIS REX D B Z BR (Translation: Charles, by God`s grace Emperor of the Romans, King of Spain, Duke of Burgundy and Brabant) |
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| Additional information |
Charles V delegated monetary administration of Brabant to regional mint masters, and the groot series of this period reflects the chronic debasement pressures of financing his near-perpetual wars against France and the Ottoman frontier. The billon standard used here — barely a quarter silver — was itself a concession, as earlier Brabantine grooten had circulated at significantly higher fineness.
The Vanhoudt reference splits this type across two mint attributions, Antwerp and Maastricht, distinguishable by mintmark rather than any die characteristic visible to casual inspection.