France (1540)-K ecu d'or Fr-338
This specimen was lot 939 in Jean Elsen sale 137 (Brussels, June 2018), where it sold for €2,200 (about US$3,061 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, François Ier (1515-1547), AV écu d'or au soleil à la petite croix, 1er type (septembre 1540), Bordeaux. D/ Ecu de France couronné sous un soleil. En dessous, K. R/ Croix fleurdelisée portant un quadrilobe en coeur, cantonnée de deux F et de deux lis. Petite croix à d. du lis supérieur et K à g. du lis inférieur. Très rare Légère faiblesse de frappe au revers. Très Beau à Superbe. (kingdom of France, Francis I, 1515-47, undated gold shield of the sunburst with the short cross, first type, emission of September 1540, Bordeaux mint. Obverse: crowned arms of France under a sunburst, "K" below; reverse: floriate cross bearing a quadrilobe at the center, cantonned with two "F's" and two lilies. Tiny cross by the upper F and a K by the lower F. Very rare, slightly weakly struck on the reverse, very fine to extremely fine.)"
This coin is called the écu d'or au soleil à la petite croix in Duplessy[2] with a face value of fifty sols tournois. It varies from the standard écu d'or au soleil by having the sunburst in the obverse legend rather than in the field above the crown.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, this specimen 3,40 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-338; Dupl-886; Ci. -; Laf. 746, Sb 4872 (4 examples reported).
- [2]Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 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.
- Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 137, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2018.
Link to:
- (1519-40) écu d'or au soleil de Bretagne, deuxiéme type
- (1540-41)-M douzain aux salamandres
- (1540-47)-A teston
- (1540-45)-B teston
- (1540-47)-D teston
- (1540) écu d'or aux salamandres, La Rochelle mint
- (1540)-L écu d'or au soleil
- (1540)-M écu d'or au soleil
- Coins and currency dated 1540
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)