Medal to Commemorate the Recovery of Kamerijk (Cambrai)

CNG 108, Lot: 1049. Estimate $10000. Sold for $10000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

DUTCH REVOLT (Nederlandse Opstand), Low Countries. Kamerijk (Cambrai). Besieged by the Spanish, 1581. AR Medal (32x32x33mm, 6.96 g, 12h). Issued to commemorate the entrance of François, Duc d’Alençon into the city, 18 August 1581. Dated 1581. DEO · ET · FRAN CISCO · LIBE RATORIBVS ·, crowned French coat-of-arms / CAMERICI A PERFIDIS · OBSESSI ·, civic coat-of-arms; 15 81 flanking arms; two pellets below A. Van Loon I, p. 295 var. (no pellets at ends of legends); cf. van Tongerlo 110 (for type); Robert, Cambrai 2 and pl. XXXVI, 2; cf. Erbstein 6842 (same); cf. de Coster 161 (same); Delmonte, Argent –; Maillet –; Lasser –; CNM –. Choice EF, toned, die breaks on obverse and reverse. Extremely rare.

Ex Bowers & Ruddy Nummus Mundi FPL 3 (Winter 1979-80), no. 360; Howard Gibbs Collection (Part 1, Hans M.F. Schulman, 20 November 1964), lot 4770; Baron Philippe de Ferrari La Renotiere Collection.

Following the departure of the Spanish on 17 August 1581, François, duc d’Alençon, entered Kamerijk and, in a solemn ceremony, ordered a reinstatement of the city’s privileges. According to Van Loon’s discussion, following a blast of trumpets, a good number of gold and silver triangular medals were distributed among the crowd. Robert (Cambrai 1-7) lists seven types, some of which were in silver only, some only in gold, and others in both silver and gold. Although they have been known since the sixteenth century and are recorded in ancient collections, they remain extremely rare.