France 1617-B ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 30245 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2015), where it sold for $1,175. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Ecu d'Or, 1617-B. Rouen. Louis XIII (1610-43). NGC MS-62. Finest graded. Slightly off-center obverse with a good strike and clear reverse mint-mark. Lots of luster from original surfaces." This type was struck 1611-44 and was the standard gold coin of France prior to the introduction of the milled louis d'or in 1641. Gadoury notes this mint as slightly scarce. This type was originally worth fifty sols tournois in the sixteenth century, the inflation brought on by the Wars of Religion caused its value to steadily increase. At the time of issue in 1617, the écu d'or was worth 75 sols tournois. By 1636, it had risen to 104 sols tournois.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, plain edge.
Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 1, Dr/2 № 1, Dupl-1282A, Fr-398, Gad-55, KM 51.
- Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, and Todd McKenna, The November 2015 Baltimore Auction, World Coins and Paper Money, featuring the Ray Czabor Collection and selections from the Strong Museum, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2015.
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