Patagon

The Patagon's most striking feature was its consistent use of high-purity silver, often sourced from the vast inflows of New World metal, which kept its value steady amid Europe's monetary chaos. This made it a reliable medium for trade in the Spanish Netherlands, even as wars raged around it. For over 170 years, from 1612 until the late 18th century, it bridged economic divides in a divided land.

Mints in cities like Antwerp and Brussels produced these coins, typically showing the profile of the ruling Habsburg monarch on one side and a coat of arms on the other. Variations in design reflected changing rulers, though the core specifications rarely wavered. We don't know exact mintage figures for most years; records from that era are spotty, lost to time and turmoil.

One dry note: Some collectors claim the Patagon funded infamous speculations, like tulip mania, but that's likely as inflated as the bubbles themselves.