France 1782-T ecu

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Jean Elsen sale 133, lot 1258

This specimen was lot 1258 in Jean Elsen sale 133 (Brussels, June 2017), where it sold for €120 (about US$159 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XVI (1774-1793), AR écu aux rameaux d'olivier, 1782T, Nantes. D/ B. habillé à g., les cheveux noués par un ruban. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Très rare Traces d'ajustage. Beau à Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XVI, 1774-93, silver écu of the olive branches of 1782, Nantes mint. Obverse: uniformed bust to left, hair tied in a ribbon; obverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Very Rare, traces of adjustment marks, fine to very fine.)"

This specimen is an écu au buste habillé struck at the Nantes 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 1782-T 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 28,88 g.

Recorded mintage: 15,773[2].

Catalog reference: Dav-1333, Dr/4 № 883, Dr/2 № 616, KM 572, Dupl-1708; Ci-2187; Gad-356.

Sources:

  • [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.
  • Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
  • 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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