Dombes 1666-A 1/12 ecu
This specimen was lot 73008 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $120. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Dombes. 1/12 Ecu, 1666-A. Trevoux Mint. Anna Mary Louise. NGC EF-40. A charming example of Feudal French coinage, this appealing example delivers strong details and limited instances wear on the yet bright surfaces." 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 (unlisted date).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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