France 1774-BB 1/5 ecu

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from the Mountain Groan Collection
France 1774BB 1-5 ecu rev DSLR.jpg
Stack's Bowers September 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 74743
SB925-74743r.jpg

This coin, called a cinquième d'écu à la vieille tête, was the French equivalent of a twenty cent piece. In the coinage system of the ancien régime, the cinquième d'écu = 24 sols. The type was struck 1771-74 and is recorded for the Paris ("A"), Bayonne ("L") and Strasbourg ("BB") mints. A closely related and much rarer type is the Pau mint issue of 1773-74 (Dr/4 № 842a). The first specimen shown has a solder mark at the bottom of the obverse. The second specimen was lot 74743 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. 1/5 Ecu (24 Sols), 1774-BB. Strasbourg Mint. Louis XV. PCGS AU-58. From the Richard August Collection. Ex: Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. (6/2004) Lot # 12885."

Recorded mintage: 23,481. It is the commonest date of a rare type.

Specification: 5.9 g, 0.917 fine silver, 26 mm diameter, reeded edge.

Catalog reference: Dr/2 № 592, Dr/4 № 842, KM 553.2; Gad-300; Dupl-1687.

Source:

  • Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
  • Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
  • 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.
  • [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.

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