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LOW COUNTRIES, Spanish Netherlands. Filips IV. 1621-1665. AR Dukaton (42.5mm, 25.74 g, 12h). Antwerp in Brabant mint; mm: hand. Dated 1635. Armored and draped bust right, wearing ruff / Crowned coat-of-arms within leonine supporters; vuurijzer below. Vanhoudt 640.AN; G&H 327-1a; Delmonte, Argent 274; Davenport 4444; KM 56.1. Sea salvaged. Near VF.
Ex Don T. Hayes Collection, purchased from Jean Daley; 1702 Merestein wreck.
This issue of Philip IV of the Spanish Netherlands was withdrawn from circulation in Europe and hand stamped to that effect. Along with its fellow members, this coin was to be shipped abroad and dispersed in the Dutch Colonial Empire for use there by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Some were to be used as payment for soldiers and staff at Cape Colony, and others were set to travel further and receive new usage in circulation in the Dutch East Indies. The precious cargo was fated to be borne by the Merestein, a vessel constructed in 1693 in Amsterdam that had already made a number of voyages to the Dutch East Indies.
Unfortunately, some of the vessel’s two-hundred crew and passengers fell ill on their long journey with scurvy. In desperate need of fresh supplies and water despite being less than 100 miles out of Cape Colony, the captain decided resupply at Saldanha Bay. On the 3rd of April, 1702, the captain made a risky and hasty approach to the cove. Combined with strong winds and dangerous weather, a disaster was brewing. The Merestein was crushed on the reef and half of the crew and passengers were killed. The treasure was lost for near two hundred and seventy years until a large part of it was recovered by a diving expedition in 1971. Some of the coins were better preserved in a chest that survived the wreck, while others suffered from corrosion from exposure to the sea’s elements over the centuries.
Ultimately, this coin of Philip IV is an excellent specimen from a famous wreck which carries with it a most captivating history.
Closing Date and Time: 4 December 2024 at 15:01:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.
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