France 1581-H ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 1225 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $875. The catalog description[1] noted, "France. Ecu d'or, 1581-B (Rouen). Type 3. Henri III, 1574-1589. Crowned arms. Reverse: Floriated cross. NGC graded About Uncirculated Detail (Cleaned)." 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. Four major variations exist: type 1 (Sb 4924), with "P·REX" in the king's title; type 2 (Sb 4928), with the king's titles starting at the top; type 3 (Sb 4932, shown here), with the king's title starting at the bottom, and type 4 (Sb 4936) with the king's title on the cross side. This is a rare date, with none reported in Sombart's survey[2].
Recorded mintage: 708 including a few demi-écus.
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, plain edge, this specimen 3.22 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-386; Dupl-1123; Sb-4932.
- 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.
- [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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