France 1683-A ecu

Künker sale 400, lot 462

This specimen was lot 462 in Künker sale 400 (Berlin, February 2024), where it sold for €20,000 (about US$25,946 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANKREICH, KÖNIGREICH, Louis XIV, 1643-1715. Écu au jabot ou à la cravate 1683, A, Paris. 2. Typ mit kleinem "R" unter dem Brustbild. LVD · XIIII · D · G - · FR · ET · NAV · REX · Brustbild r. mit umgelegtem Mantel und Halstuch//(Halbmond) SIT NOMEN · DOMINI · - · BENEDICTVM · 1683 Gekröntes Wappen, unten Münzzeichen "A". Von allergrößter Seltenheit, besonders in dieser Erhaltung. Sehr attraktives Exemplar mit hübscher Patina, fast vorzüglich. Exemplar der Auktion MDC 8, Monaco 2021, Nr. 473. Normalerweise existiert auf den Münzen von Louis XIV keine Angabe zum Stempelschneider. Das vorliegende Exemplar stellt somit eine Ausnahme von dieser Regel dar, denn unter der Büste ist ein kleines R zu sehen. Dies steht für den Stempelschneider Joseph Roettiers. (kingdom of France, Louis XIV, 1643-1715, silver écu of the cravat of 1683, Paris mint, second type with a small "R" under the portrait. Obverse: mantled bust right with cravat; reverse: crowned arms, mintmark "A" below. Supremely rare, especially in this quality. Very attractive example with handsome patina, about extremely fine. Normally there is no indication of the engraver on Louis XIV's coins. The present example is an exception to this rule, as a small R can be seen under the bust. This stands for the die maker Joseph Roettiers.)"

This type was struck 1672-85 in fairly large quantities but was the victim of repeated "reformations," where older écus were called in and restruck. As a result, the type is rare today, even more so with the initial "R" shown here. It was succeeded by the écu drapé à l'antique of 1684-87.

Recorded mintage: unknown but few.

Specification: 27.45 g, 0.917 fine silver, 37-41 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by J. Roettiers, this specimen 27,24 g.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 491, Dr/2 № 382, Dav-3805; Duplessy 1500; Gadoury 213.

Source:

• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
• Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
• Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
• Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
• ^[1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Katalog 400: Selected löser of the Dukes of Guelph from the Friedrich Popken Collection | Numismatic treasures from the Medieval and Modern Times, a. o. "multiple portraits" from a Westphalian private collection, Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2024.

Link to:

• 1682-A écu à la cravate
• 1682-K écu à la cravate
• 1682-L écu à la cravate
• 1682-9 écu à la cravate
• 1683 sol de Strasbourg
• 1683 deux sols de Strasbourg
• 1683-A demi-écu à la cravate
• 1683-B demi-écu à la cravate
• 1683-9 écu à la cravate
• 1685-A écu de Flandre
• Coins and currency dated 1683
• return to French royal coinage (to 1793)