Gold half Philipsdaalder of 1580 sells for 369,002 euros

On 11 November 2026, a gold half Philipsdaalder struck in Leeuwarden in 1580 was hammered down for 300,000 euros at Heritage Auctions Europe, six times its starting price, or 369,002 euros with premium. Price, coin, history and provenance.

How much did the half Philipsdaalder fetch?

The lot 5574 page shows a hammer price of 300,000 euros and a price of 369,002 euros including buyer’s premium, a premium of about 23% of the hammer. The coin was offered with a starting price of 50,000 euros; Heritage Auctions Europe had not published an estimate. It went under the hammer on Wednesday 11 November at 9 am, after three weeks of online pre-bidding, in the Coins, Currency and Medals sale, which brought together 9,766 lots from 9 to 14 November in IJsselstein. The buyer is not named.

A 13.27-gram gold trial

The half Philipsdaalder was struck in silver; this example is a trial struck in gold, on the weight of four ducats. On the obverse, the bust of Philip II faces left, with the date 1580 split by the arms of Leeuwarden, the mint mark. The legend names him King of the Spains and Lord of Friesland. On the reverse, his crowned arms are flanked by firesteels and sparks, with the collar of the Golden Fleece and the motto Dominus mihi adiutor. The house describes a bold strike and an almost uncirculated coin with a dandelion-yellow tone.

Leeuwarden, 1580: Friesland mints its coins

According to the catalogue note, on 1 February 1580 the citizens of Leeuwarden occupied the Chancellery, the last stronghold of Spanish and Catholic power in the city, and Friesland came under the authority of the rebel States. They called in Lodewijk Alewijn, former mintmaster of Vianen and assayer in Utrecht, who set up a mint in the old chancellery on the Tweebaksmarkt. The first coins still bore the name of the renounced king, so they would be accepted in trade. Holland, Utrecht, Zeeland and Overijssel did the same until around 1580-1581. For the house, the gold trial was probably a presentation piece for the leaders of the States of Friesland.

Two examples in silver, only one in gold

Striking in the name of Philip II was very brief in Friesland, and only a few half Philipsdaalders left the mint. In silver, two examples survive, struck from the same dies: one in the British Museum, from the collection of King George III, the other in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, which passed through an 1882 sale. Heritage Auctions Europe presents the gold example as unique, and as the first coin of the province of Friesland.

From Baron Rengers to the IJsselstein saleroom

The coin belonged to Wilco Julius van Welderen, Baron Rengers (1835-1916), mayor of Leeuwarden from 1877 to 1883, then a member of parliament and senator. It was shown only once, in the summer of 1877, at the Historical Exhibition of Friesland, in the Stadhouderlijk Hof in Leeuwarden, showcase 88. Kept in the family afterwards, it was examined around 1970 by the dealer Jacques Schulman, who made a rubbing, but remained unpublished. It was appearing on the market for the first time.

Far from the record of the 1891 kwartje

Heritage Auctions Europe does not speak of a record for this lot. On 13 May 2024, it sold an 1891 kwartje bearing the young Queen Wilhelmina for 1,045,500 euros, then an unprecedented price for a Dutch coin. Only two examples of this small 25-cent silver coin were struck. Other results this autumn: Christie’s sales in Geneva and the Mermoz sale at Artcurial.

Information verified on 14 November 2026. Sources: lot 5574 page, Heritage Auctions Europe, Coins, Currency and Medals sale catalogue, the house’s news page, record of the 1891 kwartje.