France 1646-X ecu d'or

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Jean Elsen sale 127, lot 1352

This specimen was lot 1352 in Jean Elsen sale 127 (Brussels, December 2015), where it sold for €550 (about US$706 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XIV (1643-1715), AV écu d'or au soleil, 1646X, Amiens. D/ Ecu de France couronné, sous un soleil. R/ Croix anillée et fleurdelisée. Rare Frappe faible. Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XIV, 1643-1715, gold écu d'or of the sunburst of 1646, Amiens mint. Obverse: crowned arms of France below a sunburst; reverse: floriate, voided cross. Rare, weakly struck, fine.)"

The écu d'or was the standard French gold coin from the time of Francis I until the reign of Louis XIV. It continued to be struck even after the introduction of the louis d'or in 1640. This Amiens mint issue has the mintmark on the obverse rather than its usual location in the center of the reverse. Gadoury notes it as common. 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 1646, the écu d'or was worth 104 sols tournois.

Recorded mintage: 11,282[1].

Specification: 3.38 g, 0.958 fine gold; this specimen 3,36 g.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 340b, Dupl-1416; Gad-232.

Source:

  • [1]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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • [2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 127, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2015.

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