France 1564-H teston
This specimen was lot 1500 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €110 (about US$138 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Charles IX (1560-1574), AR teston, 1564H, La Rochelle. 1er type. D/ B. l. et cuir. à g. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux C couronnés. Nettoyé. presque Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Charles IX, 1560-74, silver teston of 1564, La Rochelle mint, first type. Obverse: laureate and armored bust left; reverse: crowned arms of France between two crowned "C's". Cleaned, about Very Fine.)"
Duplessy lists this type for 1562-74, one of several (Dupl-1063, -1067, -1069, -1071, -1072b, -1073) bearing the portrait of the boy king Charles IX. During the Wars of Religion, which broke out during his reign, the protestants seized and operated several mints. This specimen was struck by the hammer. Sombart reports five known of this date, making it neither rare nor common.
Recorded mintage: 56,553 including a few demi-testons.
Specification: 9.59 g, .899 fine silver, this specimen 9,44 g.
Catalog reference: Dupl. 1063; Ci. 1356; Laf. 895, Sb-4602.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
- Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
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