Orange 1661 1/12 ecu
This specimen was lot 34610 in Ponterio sale 177 (Chicago, August 2013), where it sold for $282. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Orange. 1/12 Ecu (5 Sols), 1661. NGC MS-63. William Henry of Nassau (1650-1702). Toned. From the Demarete Collection." 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. The coinage ended in 1667. This twelfth écu or five sols matches a very similar French coin.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.25 g, silver.
Catalog reference: KM 115.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio sale 177: The August 2013 Chicago ANA Auction, World Coins, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2013.
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