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World Coin Auction: A Spanish Gold Double Principats of Charles and Joanna

World Coin Auction: A Spanish Gold Double Principats of Charles and Joanna. Images courtesy Stack's Bowers Auctions

World Coin Auction Highlights by Jeremy BostwickSenior Numismatist & Cataloger, Stack’s Bowers ……
The rise in power and prestige of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria during the 14th and 15th centuries created the possibility for more advantageous marriages and, as a result, political alliances.

The first from the family to become Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I secured a pivotal marriage with Mary “the Rich”, her father being the duke of Burgundy, Charles “the Bold”. This Burgundian realm—mostly corresponding to modern-day Belgium and northeastern France—was a territory primed for dispute between France and the Holy Roman Empire. Upon the rather early death of Charles, his lands mostly passed to daughter Mary, adding another important fiefdom into the growing portfolio of the Habsburgs.

Accordingly, the son of Maximilian and Mary—Philip “the Handsome”—was in line to amass not only the holdings of his father but also those to the west from his mother.

Yet another important marriage, this time for Philip, seemingly assured even greater power, as he was betrothed to Joanna of Castile—the daughter of the famous Ferdinand (of Aragon) and Isabella (of Castile). This union was sadly quite brief, as Philip died just 10 years into the marriage, reportedly of typhoid fever in Burgos. Joanna, deeply distraught, would spend the remainder of her life relatively incapacitated due to the grief of losing her husband. The union did, however, produce numerous issues (two boys and four girls), with all of them surviving to fulfill regal roles in Europe.

Undoubtedly, the most well known of these royal offspring was Charles, the elder of the two males, and second born overall.

On account of male primogeniture and Philip’s untimely death, Charles inherited his father’s titles in the lowlands at the age of just 6. Ten years later, Ferdinand of Aragon, his maternal grandfather, died just shy of his 64th birthday. With both of her parents now deceased, Joanna held the two Spanish kingdoms jointly, unifying the realms for the first time in what would henceforth be known simply as the Kingdom of Spain.

Her mental state, however, effectively prevented her from ruling in this position, with Charles serving as her co-ruler, styled as Charles I–Carlos within the Spanish-speaking realms.

Three years later, Charles’s paternal grandfather, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian, passed away not long before his 60th birthday. As Charles was the next direct male heir, he was accordingly elected to be his grandfather’s successor, now adding this most important crown jewel to his list of regal titles as Charles V—Karl within the German-speaking realms. During the remainder of his reign, Charles would oversee the general prosperity of his vast empire, defending it against both Protestantism and the Ottoman Empire, and continuing Spain’s exploits in the New World.

Around the time of his mother’s death in 1555, declining health would cause Charles to begin relinquishing his titles, some to his younger brother Ferdinand, others to Philip, his only son to survive adulthood. Just a few years after his mother’s death, Charles too would pass away at the relatively young age of 58.

Given Charles’s vast dominions, his countenance graces numerous world coins throughout a good portion of the first half of the 16th century. In the Stack’s Bowers Galleries August auction, a particularly appealing and historically important issue will be offered in lot 21581 – a gold Double Principats with the portrait of a young Charles facing that of his mother Joanna. Emphasizing their titles as the counts of Barcelona, this exceptionally rare example is quite likely the finest known as an NGC EF-45 and is the plate coin in Calicó’s study. This delightful specimen highlights the royal lineage of Charles, seemingly at the nexus of European powers in the late 15th to early 16th centuries.

To view our upcoming auction schedule and future offerings, please visit StacksBowers.com where you may register and participate in this and other forthcoming sales.

We are always seeking Ancient, U.S. and world coins, medals, and paper money for our future sales, and are currently accepting submissions for our next CCO (Collectors Choice Online) auction, the consignment deadline of which is September 8. Following that, our next larger format auction will be our official auction of the 2021 N.Y.I.N.C. in January. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.

Stack's Bowers
Stack's Bowershttps://stacksbowers.com/
Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection, and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with galleries in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver.

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