France 1597-X 1/2 franc
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This specimen was lot 24027 in Heritage sale 61496 (Dallas, TX, April 2025), where it sold for $264. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: Henri IV 1/2 Franc 1597-X AU Details (Cleaned) NGC, Amiens mint. A pleasing and somewhat elusive 1/2 Franc, with examples appearing once every few years in any condition, let alone with so much remnant detail." The specimen shown is a demi-franc of Henry IV of France (r. 1589-1610) struck by the hammer at the Amiens mint (mintmark "X") in . Each mint seems to have used a slightly different bust of the king. Sombart[2] lists five known for this date, making it fairly common.
Recorded mintage: est. 58,527.
Specification: 7.09 g, 0.833 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Sb 4732, Dupl-1212.
- 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2025 April 28 Spotlight: France & French Colonies World Coins Showcase Auction #61496, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2025.
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