France 1643-D ecu

Sincona sale 18, lot 2153

This specimen was lot 2153 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 1,230 (about US$1,621 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Ecu dargent 1643. Lyon Sehr schön-gutes sehr schön. (kingdom of France, Louis XIII, écu d'argent of 1643, Lyon mint. Very fine to good very fine.)"

This type is the first silver écu, part of the coinage reform which attempted to replace hammered coinage with milled coinage. Its face value was 60 sols tournois. The écu of Louis XIII were struck 1641-43 in fairly large quantities in an attempt to displace the miscellaneous écus d'or of earlier in the reign and that of Henri IV. The écu would be struck until the end of the ancien régime in 1792. This is a product of the Lyon mint, the only mint outside of Paris to issue this type. It is quite scarce; a few 1643-D écus of Louis XIV also exist.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 27.45 g, 0.917 fine silver, 39-41 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by J. B. Dufour or François Warin; this specimen 26.76 g.

Catalog reference: Duplessy 1349. Dav-3797, Dr/4 № 120.

Source:

Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
^[1]Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
^[2]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.

Link to:

France 1643-D ecu

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