France 1555-L 1/2 teston
This specimen was lot 32932 in Heritage sale 3049 (Long Beach, September 2016), where it sold for $763.75. The catalog description[1] noted, "Henri II 1/2 Testone 1555-L MS62 NGC, Bayonne mint. Unusually well struck for the type with every strand of hair well defined." The portrait is of Henry II (r. 1547-59). Milled coinage was experimental in the sixteenth century and would not be generally adopted in France until the reform of 1640-42. This type is listed in Duplessy for 1551-58 with a face value of 5 sols, 8 deniers tournois. It is much scarcer than the teston.
Recorded mintage: 78,285 (including the more common teston), one of the few common dates.
Specification: 4.79 g, .899 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Duplessy 984, Sb 4560.
- 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.
- Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3049, featuring the Ohio Valley Collection, the Redwood Collection and the F.P. Briand Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2016.
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