LOW COUNTRIES. Vlaanderen (Flanders). Lodewijk II van Male, 1346-1384. Gouden Schild – Chaise d'Or (Gold, 30 mm, 4.47 g, 10 h), Ghent (Gand) or Mechelen (Malines), 1370/2-1384. ✠ LVDOVICVS:DЄIx - xGRAx - COm'xΓ:DnS:FLAnD' Crowned Lodewijk II enthroned facing, holding sword in his right hand and resting his left on coat of arms; all within tressure of eight arcs, with trefoils in spandrels. Rev. ✠ XPC:VIИCIT:XPC:RЄGИAT:XPC:IИPЄRAT Ornate cross fleurée in ornate quadrilobe; rosettes in spandrels. De Mey 205. Delmonte 466. Elsen 38. Friedberg 163. An impressive and large medieval gold coin. Minor areas of weakness and small deposits on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.


The Gouden Schild is an imitation of the Chaise d’Or, a French gold coin first struck in 1303 in the name of Philip IV of France (cf. Duplessy 209). This coin, along with its imitations became widely used during the Hundred Years’ War. They were often employed for ransom payments made for captured nobles.