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2 Groats 'Braspenning' - Philip the Good
| Issuer | Flanders, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1421-1433 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Groschen (Groot) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears two heraldic shields displayed side by side beneath a crested helmet surmounted by a fleur-de-lis finial: the dexter shield shows the quarterly arms of Burgundy, while the sinister shield displays the Flemish lion. The composition is rendered in a bold Gothic heraldic style typical of Burgundian Low Countries coinage of the early fifteenth century. A beaded inner circle frames the central device, with the surrounding field occupied by the circumferential legend in Gothic uncial characters. The inscription identifies the issuer as Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a bold cross pattée extending to a beaded inner circle, dividing the field into four quarters, each occupied by an alternating motif of a passant lion and a fleur-de-lis — emblems of Flanders and Burgundy respectively — rendered in high relief in the characteristic hammered style of the period. The cross arms broaden toward their terminals, a defining feature of the pattée form. A beaded inner circle encloses the central design, while the circumferential legend in Gothic uncial lettering runs between the inner and outer borders, identifying this as a new coinage of the County of Flanders. |
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| Additional information |
Philip the Good authorized this issue during a period when Flemish commercial cities were demanding more reliable small silver for day-to-day trade settlement. The braspenning — the name derived from "brasse," a unit of account used by Flemish merchants — filled a genuine gap between the larger double groot and the increasingly debased copper small change circulating in the markets of Bruges and Ghent.
Philip's mint administration during the 1420s was notably aggressive in standardizing alloy across his Burgundian territories, a direct response to the flood of underweight imitations entering from neighboring lordships.