France 1687-A ecu

Jean Elsen sale 140, lot 704

This specimen was lot 704 in Jean Elsen sale 140 (Brussels, March 2019), where it sold for €1,700 (about US$2,264 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XIV (1643-1715), AR écu à la perruque (écu blanc), 1687A, Paris. D/ B. l. et dr. à d. R/ Ecu de France couronné. Très rare Petit éclat du flan au droit. Beau à Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XIV, 1643-1715, silver écu of the wig of 1687, Paris mint. Obverse: laureate and draped bust to right; reverse: crowned arms of France. Very rare, minor bump on obverse, Fine - Very Fine.)"

This type is listed in Gadoury as the écu à la perruque ("écu of the wig") and in Droulers as the écu drapé à l'antique. Struck 1694-89 from only a few mints and nearly completely restruck in the ensuing reformations, this is one of the rarest of French coin types. Half écus (Gad-181) also exist but are even rarer.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 27.45 g, .917 fine silver, edge lettered "DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM", designed by Norbert Roëttiers; this specimen 26,38 g.

Catalog reference: Dav-3809, Dupl-1506; Gad-214, Dr/4 no. 500, Dr/2 no. 390B, KM 255.1.

Source:

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, 4me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2012.
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.
^[1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 140, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2019.

Link to:

France 1687-A ecu

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