France 1606-M 1/2 franc
This specimen was lot 953 in Jean Elsen sale 137 (Brussels, June 2018), where it sold for €500 (about US$696 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Henri IV (1589-1610), AR demi-franc, 1606M, Toulouse. D/ B. l. et cuir. à d. R/ Croix fleuronnée, H en coeur. Beau portrait. Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Henry IV, 1589-1610, silver half franc of 1606, Toulouse mint. Obverse: laureate armored bust to right; reverse: floriate cross, "H" at the center. Nice portrait, very fine.)"
The specimen shown is a demi-franc of Henry IV of France (r. 1589-1610) struck by the hammer at the Toulouse mint (mintmark "M") in 1596-1610. This particular specimen has the obverse legend beginning at the bottom. Its face value was 10 sols tournois.
Recorded mintage: 375,705, a fairly common date.
Specification: 7.09 g, 0.833 fine silver, this specimen 7,00 g.
Catalog reference: Dupl-1212A; Ci. 1534; Laf. 1061, Sb 4824, unlisted in the SCWC but similar to KM 14.1.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 137, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2018.
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