Ducaton of Philip IV Duke of Burgundy and Brabant, from the wreck of the ZUYTDORP
Date1623-1636
Object number00048970
NameCoin
MediumSilver 93%.
DimensionsOverall: 41 mm, 27.57 g
ClassificationsCoins and medals
Credit LineANMM Collection Transferred from Australian Netherlands Committee on Old Dutch Shipwrecks
DescriptionThis coin is one of several hundred objects recovered from the wreck of the ZUYTDORP, a Dutch East India Company vessel wrecked off the West Australian coast in 1712. It was issued by Philip IV of Spain as Duke of Brabant in the southern Spanish controlled Netherlands in the early 1630s. The northern part of Brabant would formally be ceded to the United Provinces of the Netherlands in 1648.
HistoryThe ducaton coin originated in sixteenth century Italy. This silver coin was used between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries as a trade coin to rival the Spanish silver dollar or eight reales. Its use spread throughout the Spanish Empire, including areas in Burgundy and the Netherlands.
SignificanceAssociated with the oldest Dutch shipwreck discovered on the Australian coast this silver coin is representative of European presence near the Australian continent in the 17th century.
