France 1596-Mor 1/4 ecu
This specimen was lot 1739 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $92. The catalog description[1] noted, "France. ¼ Ecu de Bearn, 1596. Henri IV, 1589-1610. Cross. Reverse: Crowned arms of Navarre and Bearn. NGC graded VF-35." This type was struck at Pau and Morlaàs in the Pyrenees 1589-1610 with numerous varieties. The Morlaàs issue (shown here) was hammered and the Pau issue was milled. Crudely made, they are very scarce in choice condition. The mint of Saint-Palais nearby, struck quarts d'écu de Navarre, which show the arms of France impaled with the arms of Navarre. The reverse legend (GRATIA.DEI.SVM.ID.Q.SVM) means, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." The overall appearance of this specimen, plus the reported weight, suggests that it was clipped. It had a face value of fifteen sols tournois. The distinctive reverse was used to note that Béarn was a separate domain of the king, not subject to the rest of France.
Recorded mintage: 108,106 from Morlaàs plus 73,390 from Pau[2].
Specification: 9.71 g, 0.917 fine silver, plain edge, 27-29 mm diameter, this specimen 8.01 g.
Catalog reference: Sb 4706, Dupl-1240, Ciani-1520.
- 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.
- [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.
Links to: