Metz 1659 12 gros

Jean Elsen sale 135, lot 780

Metz in 1648

This specimen was lot 780 in Jean Elsen sale 135 (Brussels, December 2017), where it sold for €140 (about US$194 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE, METZ, Ville, AR franc (12 gros), 1659. D/ B. nimbé de saint Etienne à g. Date à l'ex. R/ Ecu de la ville dans un cartouche orné. Valeur à l'ex. Très Beau. (France, city of Metz, silver franc or twelve gros of 1659. Obverse: haloed and robed bust of the saint to left, date below; reverse: ornate arms of the city in a polylobe, value below. Very Fine.)"

The SCWC lists this as a twelve groschen (the German name) for 1611-17, 1649, 1657. The bishop and city of Metz both issued coins but the town was under French occupation from the mid-1500's, which occupation was formally recognized by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: silver, this specimen 7,66 g.

Catalog reference: KM 6 (unlisted date), Flon 746, 13 var.; coll. Robert 843.

Source:

• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
• ^[1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 135, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2017.

Link to:

• Metz 1619 12 gros = franc
• Metz 1647 1/2 gros = half groschen
• 1647 thaler
• Coins and currency dated 1659
• return to French royal coinage (to 1793)