France 1766-Pau ecu
This specimen was lot 73349 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2023), where it sold for $144. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Ecu, 1766-(cow). Pau Mint. Louis XV. PCGS VF-25. Struck for Bearn. Some extensive circulation and adjustment marks are observed, but this example otherwise stands as a charming representative from the series that bears a cow as its mintmark." Most of the mints were in small towns, operated to provide patronage for local politicians. In gold, Paris, Strasbourg, Lille and Pau were the most important; in silver, Bayonne, Paris, Pau, Aix and Rennes predominated. As a remnant of its former position as the capital of the kingdom of Navarre, the Pau mint was permitted to use a slightly different obverse legend than the other mints. Hence its product is catalogued today as a separate subtype. Its écus and louis d’or are common, other denominations very rare. France has little bullion ore within its boundaries, so most of the silver came from melted foreign coin, especially Spanish. The gold to silver ratio in France was 14.5:1, favoring silver. This is a common date.
Recorded mintage: 1,559,875[2].
Specifications for the Écu au bandeau:
- Obverse: LUD.XV.D.G.FR ET NAV. REX. (for Pau, NA.RE. BD), king’s bare bust 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: Dr/4 № 820a, Dr/2 № 584a, Dav-A1331; KM-518; cf. Dupl-1680; Gad-322A.
- [2]Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 2nd édition. Paris: AFPN, 1998.
- 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.
- 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.
- George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
Link to:
- 1765 écu au bandeau du Béarn
- 1766-L vinqtiéme d'écu au bandeau
- 1766-L cinquième d'écu au bandeau
- 1766-D écu au bandeau
- 1766-L écu au bandeau
- 1766-T écu au bandeau
- 1766 louis d'or du Béarn au bandeau
- 1766 double louis d'or au bandeau du Béarn
- Coins and currency dated 1766
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)