THE NEW YORK SALE

Auction 49  –  16 January 2020

THE NEW YORK SALE, Auction 49

World Coins

Th, 16.01.2020, from 1:00 AM CET
The auction is closed.

Description

Philippe VI de Valois (1328-1350). Gold Ecu d'or, undated. King with sword and shield, seated on Gothic throne. Rev. Floriated cross in quadrilobe (Fr 270; Ciani 282). In NGC holder graded AU 58, sharply struck with a trace of luster. Value $2,000 - UP
The écu d'or ("gold shield") denomination was originally introduced by Louis IX in 1266 to take advantage of the need for denominations larger than the silver denier and to finance his army for the Eighth Crusade (1270). Unfortunately, Louis' écu failed to circulate in France because it was tariffed too low in relation to silver (1 écu = 10 sous tournois) thereby causing the coins to end up in the melter's pot rather than the market place. Following this failure, no further gold écu coinage was produced in France until Philippe VI resurrected the écu as a denomination of 24 carats and 4.53 g valued at 20 sous tournois in 1337. Philippe's new coin was popularly known as the écu d'or à la chaise ("gold shield of the chair") because although it was essentially the same denomination as that of Louis IX, the shield from which it derived its name was replaced by a depiction of the king seated on a throne in the same manner as on Philippe's larger chaise d'or denomination (see lot 314226). The écu d'or à la chaise was distinguished from the chaise d'or by its lighter weight, smaller diameter, and by the shield emblazoned with the arms of France that the king carries. This shield (écu), which is always absent from the chaise d'or serves as a clear denomination indicator for the écu d'or à la chaise.
Ex Terner Collection by Private Treaty.

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Price realized --
Starting price 1'600 USD
Estimate 2'000 USD
The auction is closed.
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