France (1498)-b ecu d'or Fr-323

Stack's Bowers May 2026 Collector's Choice sale, lot 74411

This specimen was lot 74411 in Stack's Bowers May 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $915. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Ecu d'Or au Soleil, ND (1498). Bourges Mint; annulet under last letter. Louis XII. PCGS Genuine--Tooled, AU Details. Despite the noted tooling, this example remains largely without any wear and sports a solid, well centered strike with rather clear letter forms. From the Greyhound Collection." This coin was issued before the modern system of mintmarks was introduced by Francis I in 1540. Prior to that date, mints used various secret marks to identify and date their product. Some mints, including Bourges (here mintmark "b", later mintmark "Y") used letters in 1498. It had a face value of 36 sols, 3 deniers tournois. We don't know if it traded equal to a ducat but it was likely pretty close.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 3.49 g, 0.963 fine gold, this specimen 3.35 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-323; Dup-647.

Source:

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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancients, World Coins & World Paper Money, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2026.

Link to:

France (1498)-b ecu d'or Fr-323

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