Lille 1708 20 sols
This specimen was lot 73340 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2023), where it sold for $120. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Lille (Besieged). 20 Sols, 1708. Lille Mint. PCGS AU-55. A charming example of this emergency issue, with reddish-brown surfaces and a well centered strike upon each side." There is also a five sols (KM 5) and a ten sols (KM 6) but the twenty sols has the highest catalog value. Wikipedia comments,
"The siege of Lille (12 August – 10 December 1708) was the salient operation of the 1708 campaign season during the War of the Spanish Succession. After an obstinate defence of 120 days, the French garrison surrendered the city and citadel of Lille, commanded by Marshal Boufflers, to the forces of the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene.
The siege was famous among contemporaries for l'affaire des poudres ("the gunpowder incident"), where the Chevalier de Luxembourg with 2,000 horsemen passed through the Allied lines and succeeded in delivering 40,000 pounds of desperately needed gunpowder to the defenders."
While the marshal was decorated by the king for his defense, he was rebuked for issuing these coins with his personal arms rather than those of France.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: KM-7; Boudeau-2313.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
Link to: