File:France c1226 gros tournois obv H3030-23520.jpg

This specimen was lot 23520 in Heritage sale 3030 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $1,527.50. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Louis IX (1226-70) Gros Tournois c.1266-70, Duplessy-190, Roberts-2451, MS64 NGC. + LVDOVICVS REX || BNDICTV : SIT : NOMЄ : DNI : NP(sic)I : DЄI : IhV : XPI, cross pattée within concentric legends / + TVRONVS CIVIS, châtel tournois and legend within twelve lis in ovals. A significant coin both in terms of condition and historical importance, this specimen is exceptional in its preservation, fabulously struck with choice surfaces and beautiful iridescent tone. There are a couple of small cracks in the edges of the flan, as struck. This is the first gros-sized silver coin minted north of the alps and was the forerunner of the Groat and Groschen, coins that would be a staple of late-Medieval and Early Modern commerce in Central Europe and the British Isles. From The Formosa Collection."