France 1554-C douzain
This specimen was lot 1724 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $114. The catalog description[1] noted, "France. Douzain, 1554-C (Saint-Lo). Henri II, 1547-1559. Crowned shield of France, flanked by two crowned crescents, mint mark C at the tip of shield. Reverse: Floriated cross with two H's and two Crowns in angles. Pop 1; the only one graded at PCGS. PCGS graded AU-53." These thin coins are often brittle and pieces get chipped off, visible on many examples. Milled coinage was experimental in the sixteenth century and would not be generally adopted until the reform of 1640-42. This type had a face value of twelve deniers tournois, a denomination later occupied by the copper sou. It is the most common silver coin from this reign. Sombart reports three known in his survey[2], making this a fairly scarce date.
Recorded mintage: 127,440[2].
Specification: 2.62-2.68 g, .292 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Dupl-997; Ciani-1305, Sb 4380.
- 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.
- [2]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Stephen Harvey and Vera Liu, Goldberg Sale 128: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2022.
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