France 1745-9 ecu
This specimen was lot 1531 in Jean Elsen sale 151 (Brussels, June 2022), where it sold for €80 (about US$100 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XV (1715-1774), AR écu au bandeau, 17459, Rennes. D/ T. à g., ceinte d'un bandeau. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Extrêmement rare Petit coup sur la tranche. Beau à Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XV, 1715-74, silver écu of the hair ribbon of 1745, Rennes mint. Obverse: head left, hair tied in a ribbon; reverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Extremely rare, minor edge nick, Fine - Very Fine.)"
The écu au bandeau is the most popular coin of the ancien regime among collectors. Alhéritière and Deswelle[3] reported 575 dates for this type in 2004; three more have been published since. An additional 215 dates may exist; records show they were minted but no one has found one. Four dates are known which the archives state should not exist. Of these only two dozen or so are classed as common (20 or more examples known), while 481 dates are known from five or fewer examples. Droulers[2] lists the 1745-X as fairly common. Rennes is listed for 1741-70 uninterrupted with a number of common dates.
Recorded mintage: 74,157, a fairly common date.
Specification: 29.49 g, 0.917 fine silver, 39-41 mm diameter, edge lettered DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM, this specimen 28,87 g.
Catalog reference: Dupl., 1680; Gad-322, Sobin 22A (none reported), Dav-1331, Dr/4 № 820, Dr/2 № 584, KM 512.
- [3]Alhéritière, Edouard, and Ludovic Deswelle, "Les écus de Louis XV de bandeau: point de situation," Numismatique et Change, No. 349 [Mai 2004], pp. 61-63.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- [2]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, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 151: Collection Paul Witte, Monnaies de Brabant, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2022.
- George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.
Link to:
- 1745-W double sol aux 2 L couronnés
- 1745-P dixième d'écu au bandeau
- 1745-B écu au bandeau
- 1745-& écu au bandeau
- 1745-G louis d'or au bandeau
- 1745-N louis d'or au bandeau
- 1745-W louis d'or au bandeau
- 1745-X louis d'or au bandeau
- 1745-& louis d'or au bandeau
- 1745-BB double louis d'or au bandeau
- Coins and currency dated 1745
- return to French royal coinage (to 1793)