France 1606-Pau 1/4 ecu

from the Mountain Groan Collection

This specimen was struck by the hammer at Pau in Béarn during the reign of Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty (1589-1793). This was the largest silver coin regularly struck in France prior to the introduction of milled coinage in the 1640's. Duplessy notes this type for the Morlaàs and Pau mints. This coin was struck in a balance press so we assign it to Pau rather than to Morlaàs, which only produced hammered coins.

Recorded mintage: unknown but an uncommon date.

Specification: 9.71 g, 0.917 fine silver.

Catalog reference: Sb 4706 (6 ex.), Dupl-1240.

Source:

• 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.
• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.

Link to:

• 1590 quart d'écu du Béarn, Pau mint
• 1605 quart d'écu du Béarn, Morlaàs mint
• 1606-M demi-franc
• 1606-C quart d'écu, croix batonnée et couronnée de face
• 1606-G quart d'écu
• 1607-C quart d'écu
• 1607 quart d'écu de Navarre, St.-Palais mint
• 1607-A demi-franc, piéfort
• 1607-A franc, quadruple piefort
• Nevers and Rethel 1608 1/4 ecu
• 1609-St. Palais quart d'écu
• Coins and currency dated 1606
• return to French royal coinage (to 1793)