French Colonies 1670-A 5 sols
This specimen was lot 99106 in Heritage sale 61253 (Dallas, January 2022), where it sold for $9,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: A Classic Rarity of Nouvelle France. Louis XIV 5 Sols (1/12 Ecu) 1670-A AU53 NGC, Paris mint, Type I. Among the technically finest examples of this classic New World French colonial rarity we have had the privilege to handle, outranking the Doug Robins (XF45 and AU50), Donald Partrick (VG8, VF35, and AU50), and Long Island (AU50) specimens by a notable margin. Most likely intended for use in the French West Indies despite their traditional attribution to New France, Acadia, and the French settlements in Newfoundland, the type always comes highly sought-after wherever it becomes available by both US and Canadian collectors. Lightly adjusted over the reverse as is usual, the whole of the piece is punctuated by a goldfish-orange backlight that emerges from beneath gunmetal patina." Guilloteau lists this rare type along with a fifteen sols and a liard. The SCWC incorrectly shows a photo of this coin in its listing for the regular douzième d'écu au buste juvénile (KM 199.1), which has a different reverse. French coinage for her colony in North America was sporadic, the sparse population and retarded economy didn't justify extensive issues. However, British America, with ten times the population, never received much coinage either.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.29 g, .917 fine silver, 19-20 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM 199.1 (under France), Br-502 (R4), LeRoux-251 (R7), Zay, Histoire monétaire des colonies françaises, pg. 41, 2, Breen-256, Hodder, "An American Collector's Guide to the Coins of Nouvelle France," 3, VG-2, Maz-2, Gad-2, Lec-186, Robins-29001.
- Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
- Guilloteau, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, Colonies 1670-1942 et Metropole 1774-1942, Versailles, 1942.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, The Brittany Collection of French Coins Showcase Auction #61253, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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