France 1555 8 henri d'or
This specimen was lot 40261 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $57,600. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Majestic Gold Piefort of Henry II, One of Just Two Known in this Weight. FRANCE. Gold Piefort of 8 Henri d'Or, 1555. Moulin des Etuves (Paris) Mint. Henry II. PCGS Genuine--Damage, VF Details Gold Shield. Obverse: HENRICVS II DEI G FRANCO REX, laureate and armored bust right; Reverse: OPTIMO PRINCIPI B, Mars seated left on cuirass, holding victoriola and resting elbow upon shield; GALLIA in exergue. Edge: 1555 + DISCEDITE AME OMNES QVI OPERAMINI INIQVITAT (depart from me all ye evildoers). An EXCEEDINGLY RARE Piefort issue that is just one of just two known, the present specimen offers a rather robust planchet, being nearly 3 mm thick, and features a design recalling ancient Roman coinage and motifs. The bust of the king is more classical in rendition than that which was generally encountered at the time, while the reverse displays overt Greco-Roman iconography in the form of Mars holding a small figure of a winged Victory; even France herself is listed under her Latin name, 'Gallia.' Though exhibiting some damage in the form of a few reverse scratches and numerous field marks, this impressive specimen nevertheless represents a highly interesting and wondrous link between classical renditions and early modern coining, all while being a large piefort issue at that. During his 12-year reign, Henri II brought major change to the French coinage by introducing machine coinage by the Balancier press and the use of inventor Aubin Olivier's restraining collars. The new machines were set up in the Garden of Etuves in the Place Dauphine and became known as the Monnaie du Moulin in 1551. Ex: Stack's (1/2008) Lot # 2467 @ $150,000."
Sombart[2] mentions a demi-henri d'or (Sb 4996), an henri d'or (Sb 4994) and a double henri d'or (Sb-4992) using this "GALLIA" design. He states that all were struck in 1554 and eleven examples survive today of the three types together. This example was surely a presentation piece struck then or perhaps later. The absence of a mintmark reinforces our contention that this piece was not intended to circulate.
Recorded mintage: unknown but few.
Specification: 7.30 g, .958 fine gold for the double henri d'or, this specimen 29.02 g, 29 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Fr-Unlisted (though cf. 372-4 for smaller "denominations"); Ciani-Unlisted.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- [2]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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