Lot 550
France. Ecu aux Lauriers, 1790-A (Paris). Dav-1333; Gad-356. Louis XVI. Bust in uniform left. Reverse: Crowned crest in laurel (possibly olive) wreath. Planchet flaws on uniform. Prooflike and fully lustrous, graced by old-time bluish iridescent cabinet toning. Wonderful strike and free from any adjustment marks. NGC graded MS-62.
The youthful and vigorous, almost "romantic," portrait seen on this charming coin belies the reality of Louis XVI's reign. A dashing twenty years old at the inception of his portrait coinage in 1774, by the date of the above coin Louis was bloated and porcine, and a mere two years away from his demise before crowds of jeering Frenchmen. So too, the ecu d'argent. It would be repackaged briefly, from 1792-93, with slightly heavier weight and artful devices by the artist Augustin Dupres, of the corpulent Louis, and the notable composition of the Genius of the Constitution inscribing a tablet. But this, the ecu constitutional, was almost the final "ecu." Receiving one more transformation, as a silver 6 livres, in 1793, coinage of this weight finally ceased. The next year saw the initiation of France's newly decimalized coinage based on the Franc.
Estimated Value $500 - 600.
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| Realized $748 |
