Orange 1649 1/2 ecu
This specimen was lot 1140 in Sincona sale 76 (Zürich, May 2022), where it sold for 7,000 CHF (about US$8,497 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE | Orange. Guillaume IX. 1647-1650. 1/2 Ecu 1649, Orange. Mit der Signatur DE (Louis Deslonges, Münzmeister in Orange, 1647-1650). Sehr selten, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Vorzüglich. NGC AU55. (France, principality of Orange, William IX, 1647-50, half ecu of 1649, Orange mint. Very rare, especially in this condition, Extremely fine.)"
The Principality of Orange was an enclave in the kingdom of France in the Rhone valley, ruled by the dukes of Nassau. The title passed to the Stadtholder of the Netherlands who remained a French ally so long as the Dutch were struggling with the Spanish. At the end of the Thirty Years War in 1648, the Spanish recognized Dutch independence and now William had to contend with Louis XIV, a much more formidable adversary. The French occupied Orange in 1672 and annexed it in 1713. This example of this rare type is distinctly nicer than the plate coin in the SCWC. It is obviously inspired by the contemporary French demi-écu. The coinage ended in 1667.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.59 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 13.47 g.
Catalog reference: KM 95, Voûte/van der Wiel 101.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 76, The Annemarie and Gerd Köhlmoos Collection, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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