France 1587-G 1/2 franc

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from Heritage sale 3049, lot 32933
France H3049-32933r.jpg
Jean Elsen sale 153, lot 1457

This specimen was lot 32933 in Heritage sale 3049 (Long Beach, September 2016), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "Henri III 1/2 Franc 1587-G MS61 NGC, Poitiers mint. One planchet crack at 9:00, otherwise exceptional for the type. Henri was king of both Poland and France, as is stated in the legend." The second specimen was lot 1457 in Jean Elsen sale 153 (Brussels, December 2022), where it sold for €340 (about US$430 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Henri III (1574-1589), AR demi-franc au col plat, 1587 G, Poitiers. D/ B. l. et cuir. à d. R/ Croix feuillue et fleurdelisée, H en coeur. Eclat du flan à 9h. Bel exemplaire de frappe vigoureuse. Très Beau à Superbe. (kingdom of France, Henry III, 1574-89, silver half france with the flat collar of 1587, Poitiers mint. Obverse: laureate and armored bust right; reverse: floriate and leafy cross with an "H" in the center. Edge split at 9 o'clock, strongly struck, Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"

The specimen shown is a demi-franc of Henry III of France (r. 1574-89) struck by the hammer at the Poitiers mint (mintmark "G") in 1587. The king's title, "HENRICVS·III·D G·FRANC·ET·POL·REX," indicates his brief tenure as king of Poland. Duplessy lists this type for 1575-89. Many varieties exist. It had a face value in France of 10 sols tournois. The franc d'argent was the target of heavy counterfeiting and was terminated in 1586; the demi-franc survived until 1641.

Recorded mintage: 180,884, a common date.

Specification: 7.09 g, 0.833 fine silver.

Catalog reference: Duplessy 1131; Ci. 1430; Laf. 971, Sb 4716 (38 ex.).

Source:

  • 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.
  • Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
  • [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.
  • [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 153, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.

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