Tuscany 1741 1/2 francescone
This specimen was lot 47896 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $810. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Tuscany. 1/2 Francescone (5 Paoli), 1741. Florence Mint. Francesco III. PCGS AU-55." This type was struck 1738-45 for Francis of Lorraine, husband of Maria Theresia of Austria, who was given Tuscany as compensation for being ousted from Lorraine by the French. This coin had a face value of five paoli. Francis was succeeded by Peter Leopold, the second son of Maria Theresia. Numista notes that Francis is cited here as "FRANC·III·", not "FRANC·II·", as that was his numeral as duke of Lorraine. Francesco I de' Medici ruled 1574-87; if Francis of Lorraine's numbering is followed, there is no Francis II. None of the succeeding grand dukes, who ruled prior to unification in March 1860, called themselves Francis, perhaps to avoid the controversy.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.60 g, 0.917 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-C6.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Montagano, Alessio, Monete Italiane Regionale: Firenze, Florence: Edizioni Numismatica Varesi, 2011.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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