France 1778-M ecu

from the Stacks Bowers 2018 ANA sale, lot 20437

This specimen was lot 20437 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Philadelphia, August 2018), where it did not sell. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Ecu, 1778-M. Toulouse Mint. Louis XVI (1774-92). NGC MS-62. Deeply toned with a bold design, glossy fields and very little evidence of past handling over the surfaces. A slightly better date for the type as well." This coin, called an écu au buste habillé, was the French equivalent of a dollar. It is one of a type struck at Bayonne 1775-91. 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.

Recorded mintage: 288,599^[2], a fairly common date.

Specification: 29.45 g, 0.917 fine silver, 39 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Dav-1333; KM-564.10; Gad-356; Dr/5-808, Dr/4 № 883, Dr/2 № 616.

Source:

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), 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.
Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.
^[1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The August 2018 Philadelphia ANA Auction: World Coins and Selections from the El Dorado Collection of Colombian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.

Link to:

France 1778-M ecu

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