France 1790-H ecu

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Jean Elsen sale 140, lot 736

This specimen was lot 736 in Jean Elsen sale 140 (Brussels, March 2019), where it sold for €160 (about US$213 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XVI (1774-1793), AR écu aux rameaux d'olivier, 1790H, La Rochelle. D/ B. habillé à g., les cheveux noués par un ruban. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Défaut de flan au droit. Traces d'ajustage au revers. Très Beau à Superbe. (kingdom of France, Louis XVI, 1774-93, silver écu of the olive branches of 1790, La Rochelle mint. Obverse: uniformed bust left, hair tied in a ribbon; reverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Planchet defect on the obverse, adjustment marks on the reverse. Very Fine - Extremely Fine.)"

This specimen is an écu au buste habillé struck at the La Rochelle mint, one of a type struck there 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. The 1790-H is listed[2] about 85% higher than the most common date (1789-A) but it is not rare.

Recorded mintage: est. 18,000.

Specification: silver, 11 deniers (.917 fine), 8.3 pieces to the mark (29.488 g), face value 6 livres, 39 mm diameter; this specimen is 29,16 g.

Catalog reference: Dupl-1708; Ci. 2187; Gad-356, Dr/4 № 883, Dr/2 № 616, Dav-1333, KM 564.6.

Source:

  • [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.
  • 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 140, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2019.
  • Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
  • George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.

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