France (1429)-Tours royal d'or Fr-303
This specimen was lot 23530 in Heritage sale 3030 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $4,700. The catalog description[1] noted, "Charles VII (1422-61) gold Royal d'or ND, Tours mint, 1st Emission, from 9 October 1429, MS62 NGC. KAROLVS : DЄI G A | FRAИCORV RЄX, crowned king standing facing holding two scepters on a field of lis / + XPC : VINCIT : XPC : RЄGИAT : XPC : IMPЄRAT, cross fleurée with leaves, a quadrilobe in the center; all within a quadrilobe with lis at points and crowns in spandrels. Exactingly struck with nearly full upset rims on a flan of good metal without flaws. Heavy die-polishing lines are visible in the fields but are not too distracting. The portrait of the king is excellent and the annulets identifying the mint are quite clear. From The Formosa Collection." This coin was issued before the modern system of mintmarks was introduced by Francis I in 1540. Prior to that date, French mints used various secret marks to identify and date their product. This otherwise undated and unmintmarked coin is thereby noted as being produced by the Tours mint (later mintmark "E") sometime after 1429. Duplessy notes that this type had a face value of 25 sols tournois. Four emissions are recorded for this type:
- 1st emission (shown here): 3.82 g, 1.000 fine gold;
- 2nd emission (April 1431): same as above;
- 3rd emission (September 1431): 3.49 g, 1.000 fine gold, value raised to 30 sols;
- 4th emission (December 1431): 3.82 g, 1.000 fine gold, value restored to 25 sols.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.82 g, 1.000 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-303, Duplessy-455.
- 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3030, featuring the RLM Collection, the Isaac Rudman Collection, the Hans Cook Collection and the Collection of Donald E. Bently, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
Link to:
- (1423) salut d'or, Paris mint, Henry VI
- (1423) salut d'or, Nevers mint, Henry VI
- (1423) salut d'or, Rouen mint, Henry VI
- (1427) angelot d'or, Henry VI
- (1429) blanc aux lis accotés, La Rochelle mint
- (1429) royal d'or, Poitiers mint
- (1431) royal d'or, La Rochelle mint
- France (1507-15) ecu d'or Fr-325
- Coins and currency dated 1429
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)