France 1578-K ecu d'or

Heritage sale 3032, lot 24636

This specimen was lot 24636 in Heritage sale 3032 (Chicago, April 2014), where it did not sell. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Henri III gold Écu d'or au soleil 1578-K, Bordeaux mint, AU58 NGC. An interesting variety found in Bordeaux issues with the obverse legends beginning at the base and continuing uninterrupted, thereby missing the 'au soleil' of the denomination. The example offered here retains excellent detail and some residual luster." This coin is called the écu d'or au soleil in Duplessy^[2] with a face value of sixty sols tournois and is noted with many variations in obverse and reverse legends. This type was the standard gold coin of France prior to the introduction of the milled louis d'or in 1641.

Recorded mintage: 57,601^[3].

Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, plain edge.

Catalog reference: Sb 4932, Fr-386, Duplessy-1121A var.

Source:

• ^[2]Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
• ^[1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3032, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
• ^[3]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.

Link to:

• 1577-B écu d'or au soleil
• 1578-A franc au col plat
• 1578-G franc au col plat
• 1578-P franc au col plat
• 1578-A quart d'écu
• 1578-E écu d'or au soleil, Tours mint
• 1578-F écu d'or au soleil, Angers mint
• 1578-H écu d'or au soleil
• 1578-M écu d'or au soleil, Toulouse mint
• 1578-P écu d'or au soleil
• 1578-T écu d'or au soleil
• 1583-B écu d'or au soleil
• Coins and currency dated 1578
• return to French royal coinage (to 1793)