Metz 1623 6 gros
This specimen was lot 781 in Jean Elsen sale 135 (Brussels, December 2017), where it sold for €240 (about US$333 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, METZ, Ville, AR demi-franc (6 gros), 1623. D/ B. nimbé de saint Etienne à g. Date à l'ex. R/ Ecu de la ville dans un cartouche orné. Valeur à l'ex. Rare. Très Beau. (France, city of Metz, silver half franc or six gros of 1623. Obverse: haloed bust of the saint to left, date below; reverse: ornate arms of the city in a polylobe, value below. Very Fine.)"
The SCWC lists this as a six groschen (the German name) for 1611-17, 1623, 1641. The bishop and city of Metz both issued coins but the town was under French occupation from the 1550's, which occupation was formally recognized by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, this specimen 3,75 g.
Catalog reference: KM 4, Flon 747, 2; coll. Robert 846.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 135, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2017.
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