Monaco 1666 1/2 ecu
This specimen was lot 1380 in Sincona sale 63 (Zürich, June 2020), where it sold for 3,200 CHF (about US$4,010 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"MONACO, Louis I. 1662-1701. 1/2 Ecu 1666. Äusserst selten. Sehr schön. Etwas gereinigt. Vorderseite schwach geprägt. (principality of Monaco, Louis I, 1662-1701, half écu of 1666. Extremely rare, Very fine, Some cleaning, Obverse weakly struck.)"
The prince of Monaco issued an extensive series of coinage, from copper double tournois to one écu, mostly imitations of the neighboring French coinage. Today, it is all scarce to rare. This type was struck 1665-66. This example realized nearly six times the catalog value.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.72 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 13.08 g.
Catalog reference: KM 43.1, Gadoury MC56a. MIR 466/2.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Sincona sale 63: Gold and Silver Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2020.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
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