France 1777-D 2 louis d'or

Heritage sale 3030, lot 23549

The specimen shown is a 1777D double louis d'or au buste habillé of the Lyon mint. This specimen was lot 23549 in Heritage sale 3030 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $5,287.50. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Louis XVI gold 2 Louis d'Or 1777-D, Lyon mint, MS62 NGC, an attractive mint state example of this highly elusive type with well-struck details and full mint luster. The surfaces display a few tiny natural flaws but are otherwise free of adjustment marks or other blemishes. From The Formosa Collection." 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, Calonne lowered the weight to 15.30 grams and recoined all the stocks in government hands, rendering this earlier French type very rare. The 1777-D is among the more frequently encountered of the few survivors.

Recorded mintage: 52,081.

Specification: 16.31 g, 0.917 fine gold, reeded edge, 28-29 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 875, Dr/2 № 601, KM 575.5.

Source:

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.
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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3030, featuring the RLM Collection, the Isaac Rudman Collection, the Hans Cook Collection and the Collection of Donald E. Bently, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.

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France 1777-D 2 louis d'or

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