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1640 countermark on 1575 [Treboux Mint] Dombes Douzain of Louis II de Bourbon-Montpensier, Divo Domb

Currency:CAD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:125.00 CAD Estimated At:300.00 - 400.00 CAD
1640 countermark on 1575 [Treboux Mint] Dombes Douzain of Louis II de Bourbon-Montpensier, Divo Domb

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Host Coin of Dombes, Vlack Unlisted Type - 1640 countermark on 1575 [Treboux Mint] Dombes Douzain of Louis II de Bourbon-Montpensier, Divo Dombes 40. Very Fine, sharply struck, with minor clipping affecting the legends just at the base of the obverse and reverse, with the remainder of the legends bold, including the date – which is the earliest Dombes coin known with a 1640 countermark. While similar in overall design to French douzains, the Dombes issues were privately struck, with different legends and, as seen here, different letters flanking the obverse shield. Medium gray, the surfaces with a touch of roughness but not bad, the countermark applied at the center reverse. The various Dombes coinages were ably documented by Jean-Paul Divo in 2004 and traces the various coinages of the region from 1470-1674 (though he unfortunately does not document any of the countermarked issues known). Louis de Bourbon was the second Duke of Montpensier, who had a long military career. Initially favorable to the Huguenot Protestants he later changed alliances and attacked them in order to curry royal favor, causing the military men under his command to dislike him. The Dombes area was under Bourbon control as early as 1400, but in 1523 Francois I accused the Duke of crimes and seized the land and titles; it was returned to the Bourbons in 1561. The area was not incorporated into the kingdom of France until 1765 under Louis XV. As a feudal area it had the right to strike its own coinage; most of this coinage was in direct imitation of the styles of French coins issued at the same time, with legends and busts (if used) changed to reflect the Bourbon issuers. As host coins for 1640 countermarks the Dombes issues are rare enough to have not been noticed at all by Breen or Vlack (though the type was later called “Vlack 1q” after his book was released); this is the earliest Dombes douzain known with a 1640 countermark, and we know of just one other on a (later) Louis II de Bourbon coin. There were over 100 different douzain types issued in the two centuries of Dombes coinage, but only a handful have been found with the 1640 countermark, and the present offering has seven different dates, issued under three different rulers, a phenomenal offering.