Monaco 1648 1/2 sol
This specimen was lot 1877 in Jean Elsen sale 149 (Brussels, December 2021), where it sold for €1,900 (about US$2,573 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MONACO, Honoré II (1604-1662), Billon demi-sol (1/6 pezzetta), 1648. Rosette initiale. D/ Ecu couronné. R/ Croix ornée, cantonnée de quatre fuseaux. Rare. Très Beau. (principality of Monaco, Honorius II, 1604-62, billon half sol of 1648, with intial rosette. Obverse: crowned arms; reverse: ornate cross, cantonned with four diamonds. Rare, Very Fine.)"
The coinage of Monaco in the seventeenth century is scanty, mostly imitations of French or Sardinian coinage. The result was a mix of French and Italian denominations. Three deniers = one liard; 4 liards = one sol; 3 sols = one pezetta; 20 pezettas = one scudo. No half sol is mentioned in the SCWC for the seventeenth century. We note therein KM 9 (1½ sol = ½ pezetta, 1.65 g, billon) and KM 11 (3 sols = pezetta) for 1648.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: billon, this specimen 1,55 g.
Catalog reference: KM 9?, Gad-9.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 149: Monnaies, Médailles et Décorations, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2021.
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