France 1705-W 1/2 ecu
This specimen was lot 99046 in Heritage sale 61259 (Dallas, TX, February 2022), where it sold for $4,560. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: Extremely Rare Demi-Ecu de Flandre, Louis XIV 1/2 Ecu de Flandre 1705-W AU55 NGC, Lille mint. Struck over an earlier 1/2 Ecu de Flandre of the same monarch (cf. L4L-238). An exceedingly scare issue boasting the local arms of Flanders to the reverse, transforming the coin from a relatively common piece to an R5, according to Gadoury. Our auction records indicate a mere 4 examples of this type have crossed the auction block in recent memory, generally to significant fanfare. Certified just shy of Mint State and dressed in a pleasing gunmetal patina, this highly attractive piece displays ample detail to Louis' portrait and the reverse arms despite notable evidence of the undertype partially obscuring both." This type was struck 1704-05 only at Lille along with an écu de Flandre and a quart d'écu de Flandre. The lucky bidder who won this lot obtained a bargain, as only a few are known. The regular demi-écu aux 8 L of 1704-05 was 13.72 g, 0.917 fine.
Recorded mintage: unknown but very rare[2].
Specification: 18.82 g, .857 fine silver, 35-37 mm diameter, lettered edge, designed by N. Röettiers.
Catalog reference: Dr/2 № 444, Dr/4 № 631, KM 358, Dupl-1561, Gad-196 (R5), L4L-346 (R5).
- [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.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, The Long Island Collection of French Coins Showcase Auction #61259, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2022.
Link to:
- 1704-V demi-écu aux huit L
- 1704-W demi-écu de Flandre
- 1705-AA 10 sols aux quatre couronnes
- 1705-BB 10 sols aux quatre couronnes
- 1705-A quart d'écu aux huit L
- 1705-W quart d'écu aux huit L
- 1705-BB 33 sols de Strasbourg
- 1705-A demi-écu aux huit L
- 1705-C demi-écu aux huit L
- 1705-A écu aux huit L, deuxieme type
- 1705-L écu aux huit L, deuxieme type
- 1705-S écu aux huit L, deuxieme type
- 1705-T écu aux huit L, deuxieme type
- 1705-W écu aux huit L, deuxieme type
- 1705-A louis d'or aux insignes
- 1705-L louis d'or aux insignes
- 1705-A double louis d'or aux insignes aux cheveux longs
- 1705-W double louis d'or aux insignes aux cheveux longs
- Coins and currency dated 1705
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)