France (1519) 1/2 ecu d'or Fr-337

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Jean Elsen sale 145, lot 1052

This specimen was lot 1052 in Jean Elsen sale 145 (Brussels, September 2020), where it sold for €850 (about US$1,211 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, François Ier (1515-1547), AV demi-écu d'or au soleil, 3e émission (juillet 1519), point 5e, Toulouse. 5e type. D/ Ecu de France couronné. R/ Croix fleurdelisée cantonnée de deux lis et de deux F. Rare Double frappe. Très Beau. Provient du Crédit de la Bourse, Paris, octobre 1989. (kingdom of France, Francis I, 1515-47, gold half écu of the sunburst, third emission, July 1519, dot under the fifth letter, Toulouse mint, fifth type. Obverse: crowned arms of France; reverse: floriate cross cantonned with two lilies and two "F's". Rare, double struck, Very Fine.)"

This coin represents the transition from medieval coinage to that of the Renaissance, which adopted royal portraits and large modules. Prior to the reform of 1540, mints were indicated by the location the pellet on the obverse beaded circle. The dot in fifth position, denotes Touluse, which would use the "M" mintmark after 1540. It had a face value of twenty sols tournois. These demi-écus d'or were issued in many varieties during François' reign and all the way until Louis XIV but are overall much rarer than the larger écu d'or.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 1.72 g, 0.958 fine gold, this specimen 1,68 g.

Catalog reference: Fr-337, Dupl-776; Ci. 1080; Laf. 640.

Source:

  • [2]Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
  • Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
  • 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]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 145, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2020.

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