France 1763-D ecu
This specimen is an écu au bandeau of Louis XV struck in 1763 at the Lyon mint. The long reign of Louis XV (1715-74) saw many coin types come and go. The first part of the reign, while Louis was a child, was a period of monetary confusion and manipulation. The reforms of Cardinal Fleury (1726) stabilized the fiscal situation until the total collapse at the eve of the Revolution. Numismatically, this period can be divided into three epochs, marked by the écu aux branches d’olivier (1726-40), the écu au bandeau (1740-72) and the écu à la vielle tête (1770-74). This specimen was lot 8347 in Ponterio sale 154 (Baltimore, June 2010) where it sold for $184.
Recorded mintage: unknown but a common date.
Specification:
- Obverse: LUD.XV.D.G.FR ET NAV. REX. (for Pau, NA.RE. BD), king’s head left, hair tied with a ribbon;
- reverse: SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM (date), oval shield of France, crowned, between two olive branches tied with ribbon, mintmark below; edge lettered DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM.
- composition: silver, 11 deniers (.917 fine), 8.3 pieces to the mark (29.488 g), face value 6 livres, 39 mm diameter. Engraved by Joseph-Charles Röettiers.
Catalog reference: Dav-1331, Dr/4 № 820, Dr/2 № 584, KM 512.4.
- 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.
- George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.
- Clairand, Armand, Monnaies de Louis XV, Le temps de la Stabilité Monetaire, 1726-1774, Paris: Maison Platt, 1996.
- 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.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 154: The June Baltimore Auction, Irvine, CA: Bowers and Merena, 2010.
Link to:
- 1762-W écu au bandeau
- 1763-N dixième d'écu au bandeau
- 1763-Z dixième d'écu au bandeau
- 1763-A cinquième d'écu au bandeau
- 1763-L demi-écu au bandeau
- 1763-P demi-écu au bandeau
- 1763-L écu au bandeau
- 1763-M écu au bandeau
- 1763-R écu au bandeau
- 1763-S écu au bandeau
- 1763-W écu au bandeau
- 1763 écu au bandeau du Béarn
- 1763 louis d'or du Béarn au bandeau
- 1763 double louis d'or du Béarn au bandeau
- 1764-L écu au bandeau
- 1765 écu au bandeau du Béarn
- Coins and currency dated 1763
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)