Lorraine 1721 teston
This specimen was lot 1745 in Sincona sale 47 (Zürich, May 2018), where it sold for 200 CHF (about US$240 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Lothringen, Herzogtum, Leopold I. 1690-1729. Teston 1721, Nancy. Sehr schön. Kleiner Schrötlingsfehler. (duchy of Lorraine, Leopold I, 1690-1729, teston of 1721, Nancy mint. Very fine, Minor flan defect.)"
Lorraine in the early eighteenth century was in the borderlands between France and Germany and was contested between them. In 1721, she was still part of the Empire but the duke was a French client. His son, Francis III (1729-37) married Maria Theresia of Austria and was forced to trade Lorraine for Tuscany. Lorraine went to Stanislaus Leszczynski, erstwhile king of Poland and father-in-law of Louis XV. On his death in 1766, Lorraine passed to France. This coin is listed in the SCWC for 1718-23 but not 1721. It is very scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver; this specimen 9.34 g.
Catalog reference: Flon 911,126, KM 98.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Auction 47, World Coins and Medals, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2018
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
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