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!
Ecu - Maurice of Nassau
| Issuer | Orange, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1618-1622 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Ecu (18⁄5) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Elaborately quartered and subdivided coat of arms of the House of Nassau-Orange, surmounted by a princely crown, centered in the field. The complex heraldic shield displays multiple quarterings incorporating lions, billets, and other devices representing the various titles and territories of Maurice of Nassau. The date is divided on either side of the shield, with '16' to the left and '18' (or the relevant year) to the right. A circular Latin legend surrounds the entire composition, and the coin is bordered by a beaded rim. |
| 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 |
Maurice of Nassau struck these écus during a period when the Principality of Orange — a tiny sovereign enclave surrounded by French territory — was aggressively asserting its independence through coinage. Maurice, as Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and Prince of Orange, used the mint at Orange to produce silver of demonstrably high standard, partly as a political gesture toward France, which repeatedly disputed the principality's minting rights throughout the early seventeenth century. French authorities confiscated Orange coinage on multiple occasions, viewing it as an infringement on royal monetary prerogative.
The date range of 1618–1622 coincides almost exactly with the opening of the Thirty Years' War, during which Maurice's broader diplomatic and military priorities likely drew administrative attention away from the Orange mint itself.