Dombes 1664-A 1/12 ecu
This specimen was lot 33701 in Heritage sale 3082 (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $336. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: Dombes. Anna Marie Louise 1/12 Ecu 1664-A MS64 PCGS, Paris mint." Gaston, duc d'Orleans, was the younger brother of king Louis XIII of France. He was a lifelong troublemaker but so long as the king was unable to produce an heir, his life was safe, no matter how many treasonable conspiracies he was involved in. The Dombes region lies south of Franche Comte and west of Savoy and was a fief of the Montpensier family, whose heiress Gaston married in 1626. The area reverted to the French crown on the death of his daughter, Anne Marie Louise, in 1693. This type was struck 1664-65 and is scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.29 g, 0.917 fine silver, not 13.55 g as claimed by the SCWC.
Catalog reference: KM 40.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Online Auction 3082, featuring the Caranett Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
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