Item number: A2153

Year: AD 1634

Material: Silver (.944)

Size: 42.3 x 42.5 x 2.3 mm

Weight: 31.7 g

Manufactured by: Antwerp Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This silver coin was minted and issued in AD 1634 by Spanish Netherlands, during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain (Felipe IV). It is valued at one ducaton. In the Low Countries, one ducaton generally equated to three guilders (Gulden), 60 stuivers (Stuiver), 120 groten (Grote), 240 oorden (Oord), 480 duiten (Duit), 2880 mijten (Mijt), 1¼ patagon, 10 schellingen (Schelling), ½ souverain, and 1⅕ albertijn.

The obverse of the coin features a right-facing half-length portrait of Philip IV, wearing a high lace ruff, a cloak, and plate armour adorned with a lion’s head on the shoulder guard. Around his neck, he wears the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece. A beaded circle separates the image from the surrounding Latin inscription: “PHIL · IIII · D · G · HISP · ET · INDIAR · REX ·,” an abbreviation of Philippus IIII Dei Gratia Hispaniarum Et Indiarum Rex, meaning “Philip IV, by the Grace of God, King of Spain and the Indies.” The year of issue, “1634,” is inscribed at the top, with a hand symbol placed between “16” and “34,” serving as the mintmark of the Antwerp Mint. The half-length portrait with the high lace ruff was used on silver coins minted between AD 1623 and 1636.

The reverse of the coin bears the royal coat of arms of Philip IV, designed as a quartered shield. The upper-left quadrant is further quartered internally: the arms of Castile appear in the upper-left and lower-right quarters, represented by a three-towered castle, which in heraldic colours would be a gold castle on a red field with blue doors and windows. The arms of León occupy the upper-right and lower-left quarters, represented by a rampant lion, which in heraldic colours would be a purple lion on a silver field. The upper-right quadrant is divided vertically, or per pale: on the left side is the arms of Aragon, depicted as four vertical stripes, which in heraldic colours would be four red bars on a gold field; on the right side is a quartered shield in saltire (Quartered per saltire), with the first and fourth quarters showing the arms of Aragon, while the second and third quarters depict a double-headed eagle with folded wings and pronounced beak and claws, which in heraldic colours would be a black eagle on a silver field with red beak and claws, representing Swabia-Sicily. The central escutcheon (Escutcheon of pretence) displays the arms of Portugal, consisting of five small shields arranged in a cross, each containing five roundels, surrounded by seven towers; in heraldic colours, this would be five blue shields on a silver field, each bearing five gold bezants, encircled by a red border with seven gold towers. Below the Portuguese arms is the emblem of Granada, represented by a pomegranate with leaves, which in heraldic colours would be a red fruit with green leaves on a silver field, depicted naturally. The lower-left quadrant is divided horizontally, or per fess: the upper section contains the arms of Austria, depicted as a horizontal band across the shield, which in heraldic colours would be a silver band on a red field; the lower section features the arms of Ancient Burgundy, composed of multiple parallel diagonal stripes slanting from upper-left to lower-right, which in heraldic colours would be alternating blue and gold diagonal bands with a red border. The lower-right quadrant is also divided horizontally, with the upper section featuring the arms of Modern Burgundy, consisting of three fleurs-de-lis arranged in an inverted triangle, bordered by a chequered pattern, which in heraldic colours would be three gold fleurs-de-lis on a blue field, enclosed by a red-and-white chequered border. The lower section contains the arms of Brabant, represented by a rampant lion with an aggressive posture, which in heraldic colours would be a gold lion on a black field with red tongue and claws. The central inescutcheon (small escutcheon) is divided vertically: the left side bears the arms of Flanders, represented by a rampant lion, which in heraldic colours would be a black lion on a gold field with a red tongue and claws; the right side displays the arms of Tyrol, featuring a spread-winged eagle, which in heraldic colours would be a red eagle on a silver field, with gold beak, claws, and wing embellishments, and a red tongue. Flanking the shield are two supporting lions, one paw resting on the shield while the other is raised, holding the “Royal Crown of the Romans,” symbolising the Carolingian legacy of the Holy Roman Empire. Beneath the coat of arms are two fire steels set back to back and the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, both emblematic of the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. The surrounding beaded circle separates the shield from the Latin inscription, “· ARCHID · AVST · DV X · BVRG · BRAB · Ƶc,” an abbreviation of Archidux Austriae Dux Burgundiae Brabantiae Etc, meaning “Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, etc.,” serving as the continuation of the royal titles inscribed on the obverse.

Philip IV (AD 1605–1665) was the King of Spain and Portugal from the Habsburg dynasty. He ascended to the Spanish throne in AD 1621 and ruled until his death in AD 1665, though Spain lost control of Portugal in AD 1640 following the Portuguese Restoration War. His reign coincided with the decline of the Spanish Empire, marked by economic hardship, frequent military conflicts, and a severe fiscal crisis. In the Low Countries, Isabella Clara Eugenia and her husband, ruling in the name of the Duke of Burgundy, maintained a tolerant and pragmatic administration, offering a period of relative peace during the Eighty Years’ War. However, after Isabella’s death in AD 1633, hostilities resumed. In terms of monetary policy, Philip IV, following the precedent of previous Habsburg monarchs, responded to prolonged warfare and mounting fiscal deficits by issuing large quantities of debased silver-copper alloy (vellón) coinage, which led to significant currency devaluation and rampant inflation. The Spanish economy was heavily reliant on silver imports from the Americas, but due to ongoing wars, maritime raids, and trade disruptions, the supply of silver dwindled, destabilising the monetary system. In this context, the ducaton, a high-value silver coin, played a crucial role in both domestic and international trade, although for the Spanish Crown, central finances remained primarily anchored in the Spanish real and escudo. As Spain was embroiled in the Thirty Years’ War (AD 1618–1648), the Franco-Spanish War (AD 1635–1659), and intermittent phases of the Eighty Years’ War, escalating military expenditures further exacerbated fiscal strain. The government resorted to debasement—reducing the precious metal content of coinage—and the issuance of copper-based silver currency to raise funds, eroding monetary credibility, driving inflation, and ultimately accelerating the economic decline of Spain, undermining its international standing. While Philip IV was a notable patron of the arts and culture, supporting figures such as the painter Diego Velázquez, his reign ultimately failed to halt the decline of Spanish power, leaving his successors with a fragile financial and political legacy.

Both the ducaton and the ducado derive their name from the Italian ducat. However, the former was a high-denomination silver coin circulated in the Low Countries, primarily used for trade and tax settlement, whereas the latter was a high-value gold coin circulating in the Iberian Peninsula, serving as a means of large-scale commerce and government wealth reserves. Given that both territories were under Habsburg rule, an exchange relationship between the two currencies likely existed.

物件編號: A2153

年代: 公元 1634 年

材質: 銀 (944.0‰)

尺寸: 42.3 x 42.5 x 2.3 mm

重量: 31.7 g

製造地: 安特衛普鑄幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

此枚銀幣為公元1634年，由西屬尼德蘭，於西班牙國王腓力四世(Felipe IV)在位期間所鑄造發行的銀幣，幣值為1杜卡通(Ducaton)。在低地地區，一般而言，1杜卡通(Ducaton)等於3古爾登/荷蘭盾/萊茵盾(Gulden)、60斯圖伊弗(Stuiver)、120格羅特(Grote)、240奧爾登(Oord)、480杜伊滕(Duit)、2880米滕(Mijt)、1¼帕塔貢(Patagon)、10謝林(Schelling)、½蘇維蘭(Souverain)、1⅕阿爾貝廷(Albertijn)。

銀幣的正面為腓力四世右側半身像，身著高領襞襟、斗篷與鎧甲，肩甲上有獅首為飾，胸前佩有金羊毛騎士團鍊章。以珠圈相隔，外圍環繞著拉丁簡寫「PHIL · IIII · D · G · HISP · ET · INDIAR · REX · 」，即「Philippus IIII Dei Gratia Hispaniarum Et Indiarum Rex」，意為「腓力四世，蒙上帝恩典，西班牙和印度群島國王」。上端「1634」為發行年，「16」、「34」中間之手掌為安特衛普鑄幣廠的標記。高領襞襟版的半身像銀幣鑄於公元1623至1636年。

銀幣的背面是腓力四世的王室盾徽，形式為四分盾(Quartered shield)，左上 象限內部再次四分，其中卡斯提亞(Castile)的紋章位於左上與右下部分，為一座三塔城堡，若在紋章中，則為紅底金城堡，城門與窗戶為藍色，而萊昂(Leon)的紋章位於右上與左下部分，為一頭人立的獅子，若在紋章中，則為銀底紫獅。右上象限為垂直二分，或稱縱分盾(Per pale)，亞拉岡(Aragon)的紋章位於左方，為四條垂直排列的條紋，若在紋章中，則為金底四條紅色豎條；右方則為對角四分盾(Quartered per saltire)，第一與第四象限為亞拉岡的紋章，第二與第三象限為一隻雙翼收攏的鷹，嘴爪明顯，若在紋章中，則為銀底黑色雙翼收攏的鷹，嘴爪為紅色，代表施瓦本-西西里(Swabia-Sicily)；中央榮譽盾(Escutcheon of pretense)為葡萄牙(Portugal)的紋章，為五個小盾排列成十字狀，每個小盾內有五個圓點，外圍則有七座塔樓，若在紋章中，則為銀底五個藍色小盾，每個小盾內含五個金色圓點，外圍紅色邊框，載有七座金色塔樓。葡萄牙紋章下方嵌入格拉納達(Granada)的象徵，即一枚石榴果實，帶葉，若在紋章中，則為銀底帶葉的石榴果實，顏色果紅葉綠，一如自然。左下象限為水平二分，或稱橫分盾(Per fess)，上方為奧地利(Austria)的紋章，為一條橫帶穿過盾面，若在紋章中，則為紅底銀色橫帶；下方為古代勃艮第(Ancient Burgundy)的紋章，為多條左上-右下，平行相間的斜紋，若在紋章中，則為藍金相間的斜紋，外圍紅色邊框。右下象限亦為水平二分，上方為近代勃艮第(Modern Burgundy)的紋章，為三朵排列成倒三角的花飾，外圍為棋盤紋邊框，若在紋章中，則為藍底三朵金色百合花，外圍紅白相間的棋盤邊框；下方為布拉邦(Brabant)的紋章，為一頭人立的獅子，張牙舞爪，若在紋章中，則為黑底金色獅子，舌爪為紅色。腹部盾徽(Inescutcheon)為縱分盾，左側為法蘭德斯(Flanders)的紋章，為一頭人立的獅子，若在紋章中，則為金底黑色獅子，舌爪為紅色；右側為提洛(Tyrol)的紋章，為一隻展翅的雄鷹，若在紋章中，則為銀底紅羽之鷹，嘴爪與雙翼上的飾紋為金色，舌頭為紅色。兩側護盾的雄獅，前爪一扶盾，另一同高舉象徵東法蘭克王國法統的「羅馬人國王之冠」。盾徽下方為一對相背的火鐮，與懸掛在火鐮下方的金羊毛騎士團徽章，二者皆為勃艮第金羊毛騎士團的象徵。盾徽周圍以珠圈相隔，外圍環繞著拉丁簡寫「· ARCHID · AVST · DV X · BVRG · BRAB · Ƶc」，即「Archidux Austriae Dux Burgundiae Brabantiae Etc」，意為「奧地利大公、勃艮第與布拉邦公爵等。」為正面幣文頭銜的後續。

腓力四世(AD 1605-1665)是哈布斯堡王朝的西班牙與葡萄牙國王，公元1621年繼位，統治西班牙直到公元1665年，葡萄牙則在公元1640年因葡萄牙王政復辟戰爭失去控制。他的統治時期正值西班牙帝國的衰退階段，國內經濟困難，戰爭頻仍，並且面臨嚴重的財政危機。而在低地諸邦，由於伊莎貝爾·克拉拉·歐亨妮亞與其夫，以勃艮第公爵之名行總督之實，治下開明寬容，是荷蘭爭取獨立的八十年戰爭間隙中的一段和平時光。而公元1633年，歐亨妮亞逝世後，戰端再啟。在貨幣政策方面，腓力四世為了應對長期戰爭與國家財政赤字，延續歷任哈布斯堡國王的作為，大量發行劣質的銀銅合金(vellón)貨幣，導致貨幣價值大幅下降並引發通貨膨脹。西班牙經濟高度依賴來自美洲的白銀輸入，但因戰爭、海上劫掠及貿易困難，白銀供應減少，使貨幣體系遭受嚴重衝擊。在此背景下，杜卡通(Ducaton)作為高價值的銀幣，本身在國內外交易中便具有重要地位，但對西班牙王國而言，中央財政仍以西班牙里爾與埃斯庫多為主。由於西班牙參與三十年戰爭(AD 1618-1648)、西法戰爭(AD 1635-1659)，以及斷續戰和的八十年戰爭，戰爭開支進一步加劇財政負擔，政府被迫多次透過降低貨幣貴金屬含量以及增發銅質銀幣來籌措資金，導致市場信用崩潰，物價飛漲，最終加速西班牙經濟的衰退，並影響其國際地位。雖然腓力四世在藝術和文化方面贊助慷慨，支持畫家維拉斯奎茲(Diego Velázquez)等人，但他的統治最終未能阻止西班牙的國力下降，並為後繼者留下極為脆弱的財政與政治局勢。

杜卡通與杜卡多(Ducado)名稱皆來自義大利地區的達克特/杜卡特(Ducat)，但前者為低地國流通的大額銀幣，以供貿易及稅徵結算所需；後者為伊比利半島流通的大額金幣，供大額貿易與政府財富儲備之用。因同為哈布斯堡王朝治下，可能有一定的兌換關係。