France 1632-B ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 1765 in Jean Elsen sale 117 (Brussels, June 2013), where it sold for €500 (about US$788 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XIII (1610-1643), AV écu d'or au soleil, 1632 B, Rouen. Droit: Ecu de France couronné, sous un soleil. La légende débutant à 6h. Revers: Croix annillée et fleurdelisée. Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XIII (1610-43), gold ecu d'or of the sun of 1632, Rouen mint. Obverse: crowned arms of France under a sun. The legend begins at six o'clock; reverse: floriate, voided cross. Very fine.)"
Shown is a écu d'or au soleil (gold écu of the sun) struck at the Rouen mint in the last years before the switch to milled coinage in the 1640's. This type was struck at numerous mints 1611-43, i.e., Louis' entire reign. These coins were struck with the hammer and were supposed to be phased out with the introduction of milled coinage in 1640 but écus d'or are known dated as late as 1654. Gadoury prices this as a common date. 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 1632, the écu d'or was worth 83 sols tournois. By 1636, it had risen to 104 sols tournois.
Recorded mintage: est. 128,200.
Specification: 3.37 g, 0.958 fine gold, plain edge, this specimen 3.35 g.
Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 1, Dupl., 1282A; Ci., 1593 var; Gad-55.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
- 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.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, Vente Publique 117: Collection Jean-Jacques Symoens, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses fils, S.A., 2013.
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