Brabant. Philip II of Spain silver Piefort Daalder ND (c. 1586) MS60 NGC, Antwerp mint, Dav-Unl., Delm-88 (R3), Vanhoudt-368P2 (R2), Witte-832. 65.23gm. Crowned and cuirassed bust of the King right / Crowned arms with the Portuguese shield, encircled by the collar of the Golden Fleece. A wholly attractive specimen of this very desirable "Heavy Weight" Daalder type, rare in any quality but especially so in the present Mint State, and permeated with an appealing deep antique patina. The issue may be accurately dated to after 1586, as the capture of Antwerp in that year after a lengthy siege marked the complete reestablishment of Spanish authority in the southern Netherlands. Following this transfer of power, Alexander Farnese, the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, immediately ordered the issuance in Antwerp of coinage of Philip II of Spain. While admittedly a bit unevenly struck towards the outer registers, the piece at hand shows a distinctive lack of the annealing flaws so common on Dutch coins of the period, clearly indicating the level of care taken in the preparation, not only of the designs, but also of the extra thick planchet itself. What lends even more credence to the coin's incredible survivorship, however, is the fact that the Millennia specimen graded only an AU55, with perhaps the nearest comparable example we have been able to locate bringing 20,000 Euros in June 2016.

HID09801242017

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