France 1742-G ecu
This specimen was lot 1529 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €150 (about US$188 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XV (1715-1774), AR écu au bandeau, 1742G, Poitiers. D/ T. à g., ceinte d'un bandeau. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Dupl-1680; Gad-322; Sobin 22A (un seul exemplaire répertorié). Extrêmement rare Traces d'ajustage. presque Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XV, 1715-74, silver écu of the hair ribbon of 1742, Poitiers mint. Obverse: head left, hair tied in a ribbon; reverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Extremely rare, adjustment marks, about Very Fine.)"
The écu au bandeau is the most popular coin of the ancien regime among collectors. Alhéritière and Deswelle[3] reported 575 dates for this type in 2004; three more have been published since. An additional 215 dates may exist; records show they were minted but no one has found one. Four dates are known which the archives state should not exist. Of these only two dozen or so are classed as common (20 or more examples known), while 481 dates are known from five or fewer examples. Droulers[2] lists the 1742-G as very scarce. Poitiers is listed for 1740, 1742-57, 1760-68 and 1771 with no common dates. It was among six mints closed in 1771.
Recorded mintage: 3,351, a rare date.
Specification: 29.49 g, 0.917 fine silver, 39-41 mm diameter, edge lettered DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM, this specimen 29,13 g.
Catalog reference: Dupl., 1680; Gad-322, Dav-1331, Dr/4 № 820, Dr/2 № 584, KM 512.
- [3]Alhéritière, Edouard, and Ludovic Deswelle, "Les écus de Louis XV de bandeau: point de situation," Numismatique et Change, No. 349 [Mai 2004], pp. 61-63.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- [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]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
Link to:
- 1742-BB 2 sols
- 1742-H 2 sols
- 1742-A écu au bandeau
- 1742-T écu au bandeau
- 1742 écu au bandeau du Béarn
- 1742-A demi-louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-L demi-louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-A louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-ϽC louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-W louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-X louis d'or au bandeau
- 1742-A double louis d'or au bandeau
- Coins and currency dated 1742
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)