Lorraine (1574-80) teston
This specimen was lot 1251 in Jean Elsen sale 159 (Brussels, June 2024), where it sold for €160 (about US$206 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, LORRAINE, Charles III (1545-1608), AR teston, s.d. (1574-1580), Nancy. D/ B. adulte, cuir. à d. R/ Ecu couronné. Très Beau à Superbe. (France, duchy of Lorraine, Charles III, 1545-1608, undated silver teston, circa 1574-80, Nancy mint. Obverse: armored adult bust right; reverse: crowned arms. Very fine to extremely fine.)"
In the sixteenth century, duke Karl, tho raised at the French court and married to a French princess, considered himself a subject of the German emperor; only in Louis XIV's time did Lorraine fall into the French sphere of influence and it wasn't annexed to France until 1766. Other testons show a child's bust or a full bearded bust. Better cataloguing is needed.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver; this specimen 8,75 g.
Catalog reference: Flon 645, 87; Saulcy XXI, 4; coll. Robert 1458.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 159, Collection Harry Dewit, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
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