France 1591-A 1/4 ecu

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Künker sale 335, lot 4969
Jean Elsen sale 151, lot 1504

The first specimen was lot 4969 in Künker sale 335 (Osnabrück, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €60 (about US$79 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANKREICH, KÖNIGREICH. Charles X, 1589-1590. 1/4 Ecu 1591, A, Paris. Posthume Prägung mit Namen des Gegenkönigs der katholischen Liga. Kreuz, an den Enden je eine Lilie//Gekröntes Wappen, zu den Seiten II - II. Kl. Prägeschwächen, sehr schön. Aus der Sammlung Eberhard Link. Exemplar der Lagerliste Bourgey, Paris, Juni 1967, Nr. 475. Charles X war der von der katholischen Liga nach dem Tode Henris III aufgestellte Gegenkönig von Frankreich. Er gehörte dem geistlichen Stand an und war Kardinal der römischen Kirche. Er konnte sich aber nicht gegen seinen Neffen Henri IV durchsetzen und wurde von einem Aufstand der Pariser Massen in die Flucht geschlagen. (kingdom of France, pretender Charles X, 1589-90, quarter écu of 1591, Paris mint. Posthumous strike by the Catholic League. Obverse: floriate cross; reverse: crowned arms divide the value, weakly struck, very fine to extremely fine. Charles X was the candidate of the Catholic League for the French throne. He was a Cardinal in the Church and the prisoner of his rival, Henry IV.)"

The second specimen was lot 1504 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €90 (about US$113 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Charles X, cardinal de Bourbon (1589-1590), AR quart d'écu, 1591A, Paris. Frappe posthume. D/ Croix fleurdelisée. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre II-II. Brisure du coin au droit. Belle patine. Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Charles X, cardinal de Bourbon (1589-1590), silver quarter écu of 1591, Paris mint, posthumous strike. Obverse: floriate cross; reverse: crowned arms of France divide the value. Die crack on the obverse, nice patina, Very Fine.)"

This coin was struck by the Catholic League in the name of their candidate for the throne, Charles X. The problem was that the putative Charles X was an ordained priest and a prisoner of the (formerly) Protestant Henry IV. This was the largest silver coin regularly struck prior to the introduction of milled coinage in the 1640's. It had a face value of fifteen sols tournois.

Recorded mintage: 61,992 (Varice) plus 838,026 (Haye).

Specification: 9.71 g, 0.917 fine silver, the first specimen 9,64 g, the second specimen 9,63 g.

Catalog reference: Duplessy 1177; Ci. 1487; Laf. 1021, Sb 4670.

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]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 335: Bracteates from Upper Swabia and the area of the Lake Constance | Coins and Medals from Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. the Dr. Karl Walter Bach Collection of coins of the Austrian nobility, Special collections of Bavaria, Lubeck, Wurttemberg as well as siege coins from the Eberhard Link Collection. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
  • [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.

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