France 1594-L 1/4 ecu
This specimen was lot 1319 in Jean Elsen sale 165 (Brussels, June 2026), where it sold for €100 (about US$138 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Henri IV (1589-1610), AR quart d'écu, 1594 L, Bayonne. 2e type. D/ Croix feuillue. R/ Écu de France couronné, entre II-II. Belle patine. Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Henry IV, 1589-1610, silver quarter écu of 1594, Bayonne mint, second type. Obverse: leafy cross; reverse: crowned arms of France divides the value. Nice patina, Very Fine.)"
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 Bayonne mint. This was the largest silver coin regularly struck in France prior to the introduction of milled coinage in the 1640's. It had a face value of fifteen sols tournois. The type struck in the name of the pretender Charles X (Dupl-1172) is actually more common for the early 1590's. Sombart[3] reports 9 examples known, making this a fairly common date.
Recorded mintage: 106,797[3].
Specification: 9.71 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 9,27 g.
Catalog reference: Sb 4686, Dupl. 1224; Ci. 1517; Laf. 1066.
- [2]Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 165, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- [3]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
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