France 1605-I 1/2 franc
This specimen was lot 42750 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2019), where it sold for $192. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. 1/2 Franc, ND (1605-06). Limoges Mint. Henry IV (1589-1610). NGC AU-58. Sparkling luster appears in the fields and the central portrait of Henry remains bold, but the reverse displays multiple shifted strikes that result in the date, typically appearing along the outer legend, being unclear. From the Collection of Dr. James Eustace Bizzell, II." The specimen shown is a demi-franc of Henry IV (r. 1589-1610) struck by the hammer at the Limoges mint (mintmark "I") in 1605 or 1606. These normally bear dates but the reverse is so muddled as to render this specimen illegible. This particular specimen has the obverse legend beginning at the bottom. Its face value was 10 sols tournois.
Recorded mintage: 36,811 for 1606, a scarce date.
Specification: 7.09 g, 0.833 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Dupl-1212A, cf. Sb 4774 (1606 listed but not 1605).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio, Matt Orsini and Cris Chatigny, The January 2019 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
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