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A Luminous Early Dutch-Brazilian Coinage
Pernambuco. Dutch Colony - Geoctroyeede West-Indische Compagnie (GWC) gold Klippe 12 Guilders (Florins) 1645 MS62 NGC, KM7.1 (Rare), LMB-5, Angelini/Lucio-3.1a. (this coin), Scholten-1446 (RRR). 7.56gm. Variety with punctuation after BRASIL. An remarkable testimony of Dutch Brazil. These siege coins were struck during the Portuguese-Dutch war, where the Iberians reclaimed Brazil. Seldom-seen, they were extremely rare previous to the discovery of the Utrecht, a Dutch war ship that sunk in 1648 during a battle with Portuguese galleons. Other than the later source, these coins have been found in small hoards over the last century, adding to the few already cataloged in prestigious collections since the late 19th century. Plated in the most recent and complete reference regarding Brazilian-Dutch coins, The Dutch Obsidional Coins in Brazil, by authors Claudio M. Angelini and Hilton A. Magri Lucio, this crisp example displays fully rendered devices, struck with rusty dies, bearing a near-complete circle of pearls, very bold for the issue. The largest denomination of this short-lived series, destined to integrate the most discerning coin cabinets.
During the period of Dutch colonization of Brazil (1630-1654), three gold Klippe denominations--of 3, 6, and 12 Guilders--were minted in the Captaincy of Pernambuco for use within Brazil, beginning in October 1645 under the supervision of mint-master Pieter Janssen Bas. However, these issues were not legal tender in the Netherlands, and thus any such pieces that made their way to Europe were exchanged for Dutch Guilders and subsequently melted. Additionally, any such pieces remaining in Brazil after 1654, when the Dutch were finally ousted from South America, would have been melted, as after this period any Portuguese or Brazilian found with a Dutch coin ran the risk of being considered a traitor and hanged. As a consequence, the survival of such pieces at all, let alone this fine, is extremely uncommon, marking a special opportunity not to be missed by collectors of the Dutch colonial and Brazilian series alike.