France 1769-L 1/5 ecu

Jean Elsen sale 141, lot 1456

This specimen was lot 1456 in Jean Elsen sale 141 (Brussels, June 2019), where it sold for €320 (about US$424 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XV (1715-1774), AR cinquième d'écu au bandeau, 1769L (sur 1766), Bayonne. D/ T. à g., ceinte d'un bandeau. R/ Ecu de France couronné, entre deux rameaux d'olivier. Belle patine. Rare dans cette qualité. Superbe. (kingdom of France, Louis XV, 1715-74, silver fifth écu of the ribbon of 1769/6, Bayonne mint. Obverse: head left, hair tied in a ribbon; reverse: crowned arms of France between two olive branches. Nice patina, rare in this quality, Extremely Fine.)"

This coin, called a cinquième d'écu au bandeau, was the equivalent of a twenty cent piece. In the coinage system of the ancien régime, the 1/5 écu = 24 sols. The type was struck 1741-72 and is recorded from the Bayonne mint for 1741, 1754, 1756-57, 1759, 1762, 1766 and 1769. This is one of the few common dates of the series.

Recorded mintage: unknown^[2], but a common date.

Specification: 5.59 g, 0.917 fine silver, 26 mm diameter, reeded edge, this specimen is 5,83 g.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 841, Dr/2 № 586, Dupl-1682; Gad-299.

Source:

Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
^[2]Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
^[1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 141, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2019.

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France 1769-L 1/5 ecu

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