France 1562-N ecu d'or
This specimen was lot 1203 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $960. The catalog description[1] noted, "France. Ecu d'or, 1562-N (Montpellier). Charles IX, 1560-1574. Crowned Ecu of France, sun above. Reverse: Floriated cross. PCGS graded About Uncirculated Detail (Tooled)." This coin is called the écu d'or au soleil in Duplessy with a face value of fifty 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. This is a fairly rare date, with one reported in Sombart's survey[2].
Recorded mintage: 1,200 including a few demi-écus.
Specification: 3.37 g, .958 fine gold, plain edge, this specimen 3.35 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-378; Dupl-1057; Sb 4904.
- 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.
- [2]Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, John Lavender, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 128: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2022.
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