France 1634-X ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 773 in Sincona sale 63 (Zürich, June 2020), where it sold for 550 CHF (about US$689 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Frankreich, konigreich, Louis XIII. 1610-1643. Ecu d'or 1634 X, Amiens. Sehr schön-vorzüglich. (kingdom of France, Louis XIII, 1610-43, gold écu of 1634, Amiens mint. Very fine-extremely fine.)"
Shown is a écu d'or à la croix torsadée struck at the Amiens mint in the last years before the switch to milled coinage in the 1640's. This type was struck at numerous French mints 1611-43, i.e., Louis' entire reign; it is listed for Amiens 1615-17, 1631-43. The Amiens mint product is distinct in having the mintmark on the obverse instead of placing it in the center of the cross on the reverse, as was usual. These coins were usually 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.
Recorded mintage: 23,905[2].
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, designed by Nicholas Briot, this specimen 3.34 g.
Catalog reference: Duplessy 1282 B; Fr-398; KM-41.17; Gadoury 55, Dr/4 № 1a.
- [2]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]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 63: Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2020
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