Besancon 1579 2 pistolets Fr-74
The first specimen was lot 20386 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Philadelphia, August 2018), where it sold for $4,920. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Besancon. City Coinage. 2 Pistolets, 1579. NGC AU-50. Fr-73. Large bearded laureate head right in circle, 'CAROLVS: QVINTVS: IMPERATOR.' Emperor Charles V who granted the city the coinage right on condition that all coins struck would bear his portrait; Reverse: Imperial eagle with City Arms, 'MONE. AVREA. CIVI: BISANTINAE', bold date 1579. Slightly off-round with satiny luster in the fields and nearly full legends. VERY RARE as a type and the sharpest example we have seen." The second specimen was lot 42195 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $8,540. The catalog description[2] noted, "FRANCE. Besancon. Pistolet, 1572. Besancon Mint. Free City, in the name of Charles V. NGC AU-58. Large Head variety. Obverse: Laureate bust right; Reverse: Imperial eagle with shield of city arms on breast. A RARE one-year variety with this style of portrait, and a relatively early dated gold type. Struck in the name of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who granted the city the right to mint coinage on the condition that it bear his titles and portrait. An evocative issue bearing a classical portrait reminiscent of those upon Ancient Roman coinage, and VERY RARE in this problem-free near-Mint State condition, with a strong strike and little in the way of surface wear present." Besançon was the chief city of the Franche Comté, or Free County of Burgundy. Franche Comté was part of the Burgundian inheritance which passed to the Hapsburgs in the 1490's and thence to Philip II of Spain on the abdication of Charles V in 1556. Besançon, being an imperial free city, was not directly involved in these transfers but was invaded and annexed to France by Louis XIV as a result of the Thirty Years War. Her coinage ceased in 1673.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.53 g, gold.
Catalog reference: KM MB32, Fr-74.
- Cuhaj, George S., Thomas Michael and Douglas Nicol, Standard Catalog of German Coins, 1501-Present, 3rd Ed. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
- 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]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The August 2018 Philadelphia ANA Auction: World Coins and Selections from the El Dorado Collection of Colombian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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