France 1590-Pau 1/4 ecu

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Sincona sale 47, lot 1629

This specimen was lot 1629 in Sincona sale 47 (Zürich, May 2018), where it sold for 150 CHF (about US$180 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANKREICH, Konigreich, Henri IV. 1589-1610. 1/4 Ecu du Béarn 1590, Pau. Sehr schön. Flaue Stelle. (kingdom of France, Henry IV, 1589-1610, quarter écu of Béarn of 1590, Pau mint. Very fine, Weak area.)"

This specimen was struck by the hammer during the reign of Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty (1589-1793). It is a product of the Pau mint in the Pyrenees. Rather than a simple letter mintmark, the reverse uses the arms of France impaled on the arms of Navarre and Béarn. This was the largest silver coin regularly struck in France prior to the introduction of milled coinage in the 1640's.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 9.71 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 9.51 g.

Catalog reference: Duplessy 1240. Ciani 1520.

Source:

  • Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
  • Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
  • Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
  • [1]Richter, Jürg, Auction 47, World Coins and Medals, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2018.

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