France (1528-40) teston
This specimen was lot 480 in Sincona Auction 103 (Zürich, May 2026), where it sold for 500 CHF (about US$762 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANKREICH Königreich und Republik, François I. 1515-1547. Teston du Dauphiné o. J. (nach 1528), Crémieu. Sehr schön. Kratzer. (kingdom of France, Francis I, 1515-47, undated teston of Dauphine, Crémieu mint. Very Fine, Scratches.)"
This silver teston was struck by the hammer at the Crémieu mint, which used a reverse peculiar to Dauphiné, a practice which continued until the reign of Louis XIV. The Crémieu mark is the dot under the F in FRANCIS and under the N in NO. The familiar mintmark letters were adopted in 1540. The reverse motto, "NO NOBIS DNE SED NOI TVO DAGLO", is spelled in full "Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam", meaning, "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory" (Psalms 115:1). This motto was used only at Crémieu.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9.59 g, 0.899 fine silver, this specimen 9.16 g.
Catalog reference: Duplessy 821A.
- 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.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Michael Hardmeier, Michael Otto, Arne Kirsch, Ruedi Kunzmann and Timur Demirai, SINCONA Auction 103: World and Swiss coins and medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2026.
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