Besancon 1541 carolus
This specimen was lot 22472 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2019), where it sold for $204. The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE. Besancon. Carolus, 1541. Charles V. PCGS AU-55 Gold Shield. Well detailed and lustrous. Although today Besancon is part of France, in 1541 it was part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was incorporated into France in 1678. Roberts comments, 'One of the oddest portrait series within the boundaries of modern France is that of Besancon, the principal town of the Franche-Comte. In 1534, the emperor Charles V granted the town...rights to issue coinage...on condition that every coin must bear the date of issue, the coat of arms, and the portrait of himself, Charles V. Thus, his image graces all issues, large and small, for 140 years, until the town was conquered by the forces of Louis XIV in 1674.'"
This type is listed for 1537-70, 1575, 1579-87 and 1597.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.39 g, silver, 18 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Roberts-7005, KM MB6.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The August 2019 Chicago ANA Auction: World Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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