France 1564-I ecu d'or
The first specimen was lot 1106 in Jean Elsen sale 141 (Brussels, June 2019), where it sold for €500 (about US$663 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Charles IX (1560-1574), AV écu d'or au soleil, 1564I, Limoges. D/ Ecu de France couronné, sous un soleil. R/ Croix fleurdelisée, avec H en coeur. Très Beau à Superbe. (kingdom of France, Charles IX, 1560-74, gold shield of the sunburst of 1564, Limoges mint. Obverse: crowned arms of France below a sunburst; reverse: floriate cross, "H" in center. Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 1206 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $900. The catalog description[2] noted, "France. Ecu d'or, 1564-I (Limoges). Charles IX, 1560-1574. Crowned Ecu of France, sun above. Reverse: Floriated cross. Portion of flan weakly struck. The only example graded at PCGS. PCGS graded MS-62." This coin is called the écu d'or au soleil in Duplessy with a face value of fifty sols tournois and is noted with many variations in obverse and reverse legends. This type was the standard gold coin of France prior to the introduction of the milled louis d'or in 1641. This is a fairly common date.
Recorded mintage: 7,350 including a few demi-écus.
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, plain edge, the first specimen is 3,35 g; the second specimen 3.36 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-378, Dupl-1057; Ci. 1343; Laf. 890, Sb-4904.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- 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]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 141, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2019.
- [2]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Stephen Harvey and Vera Liu, Goldberg Sale 128: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2022.
Link to:
- 1563-A écu d'or au soleil
- 1563-B écu d'or au soleil
- 1563-C écu d'or au soleil
- 1564-H teston
- France 1564-L teston
- 1564-M teston
- 1564-E écu d'or au soleil
- 1564-H écu d'or au soleil
- 1564-K écu d'or au soleil
- 1564-M écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-B écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-D écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-G écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-H écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-M écu d'or au soleil, Toulouse mint
- 1565-T écu d'or au soleil
- 1565-9 écu d'or au soleil
- Coins and currency dated 1564
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)