France 1775-B ecu

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Jean Elsen sale 133, lot 1257

This specimen was lot 1257 in Jean Elsen sale 133 (Brussels, June 2017), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XVI (1774-1793), AR écu au rameaux d'olivier, 1775B, Rouen. D/ B. habillé à g., les cheveux noués par un ruban. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Rare. Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XVI, 1774-93, silver écu of the olive branches of 1775, Rouen mint. Obverse: uniformed bust to left, hair tied in a ribbon; obverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Rare, fine.)"

This specimen is an écu au buste habillé struck at the Rouen mint, one of a type struck there 1775-92. Its divisions were the ½, 1/5, 1/10 and 1/20 écu, struck in modest quantities. The écu was worth $1.10 in the USA before the Civil War. The écu au buste habillé is the most popular coin of Louis XVI among collectors. The 1775-B is priced[2] about 2½ times the most common date (1789-A).

Specifications for the Écu au buste habillé:

  • Obverse: LUD.XVI.D.G.FR ET NAV. REX. (for Pau, NA.RE. BD), king’s uniformed 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 Benjamin Duvivier. This specimen is 28,80 g.

Recorded mintage: 16,338[2].

Catalog reference: Dav-1334, Dr/4 № 883, Dr/2 № 616, KM 572, Dupl-1708; Ci-2187; Gad-356.

Sources:

  • 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), 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.
  • Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
  • [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 133, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2017.
  • George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.

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