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Sterling - Guy of Dampierre Bust, SIGNVM CRVCIS
| Issuer | Flanders, County of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1297-1299 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Reverse description | A bold long cross pattée extends to the coin's edge, dividing the reverse field into four quadrants, each containing three pellets arranged in a triangular grouping — a total of twelve pellets. The cross arms are intersected by a two-line circular legend in uncial Latin script, reading SIGNVM CRVCIS, meaning 'Sign of the Cross.' The design closely follows the English sterling prototype of the period, adapted for Flemish comital coinage. The flan is irregular and slightly clipped at the periphery, consistent with hammered silver coinage of the late 13th century. |
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| Additional information |
Guy of Dampierre struck these sterlings during one of the most politically precarious moments of his long reign. By 1297 he had formally renounced his fealty to Philip IV of France and allied with Edward I of England — a gamble that would ultimately cost him his freedom. Philip's forces invaded Flanders in 1300, and Guy surrendered the following year, spending the remainder of his life as a French prisoner. These coins were produced in that narrow window of defiant independence, which accounts for their relative scarcity.