France 1655-R ecu

from the Mountain Groan Collection

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from the Stacks Bowers 2018 ANA sale, lot 20396

The specimen shown is an écu de France et du Béarn à la mèche longue struck in Pau and Morlaàs during the reign of Louis XIV. This coin is a typical product of these mints in Béarn, where crude diework and bad strikes predominated. The reverse shows the arms of France impaled with the arms of Navarre and Béarn. The two mints struck this type 1650-62; the "R" is not a mintmark but the initial of the mintmaster. Droulers^[1], who does not mention this conspicuous overdate, prices this date about four times a typical écu à la mèche longue. The second specimen was lot 20396 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Philadelphia, August 2018), where it sold for $4,200. The catalog description^[2] noted, "FRANCE. Ecu, 1655-R M. Morlaàs Mint. Louis XIV (1643-1715). PCGS AU-58 Secure Holder. As the mintage of the regular "ecu a la meche longue" ceased in 1654, the only Ecus available for 1655 to 1659 are the issues of the Pyrenean mints (Pau, St.-Palais and Morlaàs). This example, from the Morlaàs mint, is quite superior to most survivors of the type, with deep gray tone over the surfaces that yields faint purple hue in the centers and blue and yellow hue at the edges when viewed at an angle. Nicely struck as well, with full legends and nearly complete centers. No planchet adjustments are seen over either side, but a small void in the planchet appears on Louis XIV's right shoulder. A RARITY in this condition and incredibly desirable as the finest certified example of the date."

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 27.45 g, 0.917 fine silver, 36-38 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by Jean Warin.

Catalog reference: Gad-204; Dr/5 no. 393, Dr/4 № 443, Dr/2 № 300, Dav-3801, KM 181.1.

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.
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.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.
^[2]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The August 2018 Philadelphia ANA Auction: World Coins and Selections from the El Dorado Collection of Colombian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.

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France 1655-R ecu

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