France (1338) lion d'or Fr-265
This specimen was lot 31123 in Heritage sale 3089 (Dallas, TX, January 2021), where it sold for $7,500. The catalog description[1] noted, "France. Philippe VI gold Lion d'Or ND (1328-1350) MS63 NGC. • Ph': DЄI: GRA • | • FRAnC: RЄX • (annulet and triple annulet stops), Philippe crowned and seated facing within a Gothic stall, lis tipped scepter in left hand, cross-tipped scepter supported in left; a lion laying at his feet / + :XP'C: VInCIT: XP'C: RЄGИAT: XP'C: IИPЄRAT (annulet and triple annulet stops), cross fleurdelisée within quadrilobe, crowns in spandrels. Emission of 31 October 1338. A highly lustrous example with just a touch of softness in the centers, the peripheries exhibiting a distinctive boldness in legends along the edges of a broad and fully round flan. Very rarely seen in this state, and quite rare as such. Ex. F.P. Briand Collection." This coin had a face value of 25 sols tournois, the same as the royal d'or of ten years before (Fr-271) but was actually slightly heavier. Other gold coins listed for Philip VI include parisis d'or (25 sols), écu d'or (16 to 25 sols), pavillion d'or (25 sols), chaise d'or (16 to 20 sols), royal d'or (25 sols), ange d'or (75 sols) and couronne d'or (40 sols). Only the écu d'or is reasonably common.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.89 g, 1.000 fine gold, this specimen 4.87 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-265, Dupl-250.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome I, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach and Warren Tucker, Heritage World Coin Auction 3064, featuring the Doug Robins Collection of Canadian Tokens, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
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