France 1776-W 2 louis d'or

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Jean Elsen sale 150, lot 1385

This specimen was lot 1385 in Jean Elsen sale 150 (Brussels, March 2022), where it sold for €5,000 (about US$6,629 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XVI (1774-1793), AV double louis d'or aux lunettes, 1776W, Lille. D/ B. à g., en habit brodé, les cheveux noués par un ruban. R/ Ecu ovales de France et de Navarre inclinés sous une couronne. Rare. Superbe. (kingdom of France, Louis XVI, 1774-93, gold double louis of the spectacles of 1776, Lille mint. Obverse: uniformed bust left, hair tied in a ribbon; reverse: oval arms of France and navarre under a crown. Rare, Extremely Fine.)"

The double louis of Louis XVI continued to be struck to the standard of 1726 but the price of gold had risen, making the type uneconomical to issue. In 1785, French minister Calonne lowered the weight to 15.30 grams and recoined all the stocks in government hands, rendering this earlier type very rare.

Recorded mintage: 49,335[2].

Specification: 16.31 g, 0.917 fine gold, reeded edge, 28-29 mm diameter; this specimen 16,26 g.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 875, Dupl-1703; Gad-362.

Source:

  • [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.
  • Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
  • 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 150: Collection J.F.L. Blankenberg, Monnaies de l'Orient Latin, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.

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