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2 Denier - Philip the Good
| Issuer | Hainaut, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1434-1467 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Reverse description | A large ornate cross pattée occupies the central field, its arms extending nearly to the beaded inner circle, with a lozenge-shaped decorative motif at the centre point of intersection. The four quarters formed by the cross arms each contain a small pellet or annulet. The surrounding legend, inscribed in Gothic uncial characters between the inner and outer beaded borders, identifies the coin as the coinage of Valenciennes. The strike is characteristic of hammered production, exhibiting slight irregularity in the flan. |
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| Additional information |
Philip the Good ruled Hainaut as part of a sprawling Burgundian territorial accumulation that made him, by the 1430s, the most powerful magnate in northern Europe — wealthier in practical terms than the French crown he nominally served. The long date range on this issue reflects not a stable coinage but a series of repeated revaluations and restrikes, as Philip's mints struggled to maintain a workable billon currency while silver fled to higher-value denominations.
At .040 fineness, this piece sits at the lowest practical threshold for billon — below this, the alloy behaves more like copper than silver in striking. Hainaut's mint at Valenciennes handled the bulk of these small issues.