Bar (1352-1411) florin Fr-65
This specimen was lot 1220 in Künker sale 352 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €2,000 (about US$2,784 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANKREICH/LOTHRINGEN, BAR, HERZOGTUM, Robert, 1352- 1411. Florin d'or o. J. Florentiner Typ. Mit Münzzeichen Krone. GOLD. R Sehr schön-vorzüglich. (France, Lorraine, duchy of Bar, Robert, 1352-1411, undated gold florin, Florentine type, with crown mintmark. Rare, very fine to extremely fine.)"
The native dynasty of the duchy of Bar fell extinct in 1430 and title passed to René of Anjou. He and his wife inherited Lorraine in 1431 and in 1506 the two duchies were declared inseparable. The king of France left the province alone until the mid-seventeenth century, when Richelieu desired to add it to the kingdom. Interference and occupation were frequent until both Lorraine and Bar passed to France in 1766. This is one of the few gold coins issued for the duchy during its days of independence.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.49 g, 0.986 fine gold, this specimen 3,45 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-65; Flon 37; Gamberini 771.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 352: Die Sammlung Hermann Schwarz: Faszination des gepragten Goldes. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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