France 1578-F ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 30895 in Heritage sale 3073 (Chicago, April 2019), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "Henri III gold Ecu d'Or au soleil 1578-F MS61 PCGS, Angers mint. A very scarce Mint State representation of this fleeting type struck at the Angers mint. Deep brass-gold fields with a an attractive satin texturing that draws the eye." This coin is called the écu d'or au soleil in Duplessy[2] with a face value of sixty 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.
Recorded mintage: 22,200[3].
Specification: 3.37 g, 0.958 fine gold, plain edge, this specimen 3.37 g.
Catalog reference: Sb 4932, Fr-386, Dupl-1121A.
- [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.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3073, featuring the Lake County Collection of British coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
- [3]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
Links to:
- 1577-B écu d'or au soleil
- 1578-A franc au col plat
- 1578-D franc au col plat
- 1578-G franc au col plat
- 1578-P franc au col plat
- 1578-A quart d'écu
- 1578-T franc au col plat
- 1578-E écu d'or au soleil, Tours mint
- 1578-H écu d'or au soleil
- 1578-K écu d'or au soleil, Bordeaux mint
- 1578-M écu d'or au soleil, Toulouse mint
- 1578-P écu d'or au soleil, Dijon mint
- 1583-B écu d'or au soleil, Rouen mint
- Coins and currency dated 1578
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)