France 1678-D 1/2 ecu
This specimen was lot 1614 in Künker Auction 425 (Osnabrück, July 2025), where it sold for €1,400 (about US$1,983 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"EUROPÄISCHE MÜNZEN UND MEDAILLEN · FRANKREICH, KÖNIGREICH Louis XIV, 1643-1715. 1/2 Ecu à la cravate 1678 D, Lyon. Sehr selten, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Kl. Schrötlingsfehler am Rand, leicht justiert, vorzüglich-Stempelglanz. Das vorliegende Stück wird auch als Demi-écu du Parlement bezeichnet. (kingdom of France, Louis XIV, 1643-1715, half écu of the necktie of 1678, Lyon mint. Very rare in this quality, minor edge bump, lightly adjusted, extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
The numismatics of French coins of the 1670's and 1680's is very confusing. Droulers[2] assigns catalog numbers 558 thru 582 to the various varieties of the demi-écu à la cravate, which was struck at Lyon 1674-83. This type is priced about five times the price of the demi-écu à la meche longue struck 1646-60.
Recorded mintage: 33,903[2].
Specification: 13.72 g, 0.917 fine silver, 31-32 mm diameter, plain edge, this specimen 13,63 g.
Catalog reference: KM 230.3, Dr/4 № 565, Duplessy 1494; Gadoury 177.
- [2]Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
- 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.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 425: Gold coins from the Medieval and Modern Times, from the Mohr family collection, e.g. | Silver coins, e.g. highlights of medallic art | German coins after 1871, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2025.
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