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1694-N [Montpellier Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers, Gadoury 91 type.

Currency:CAD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:175.00 CAD Estimated At:350.00 - 450.00 CAD
1694-N [Montpellier Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers, Gadoury 91 type.
SOLD
235.00CAD+ (47.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2019 May 02 @ 18:43UTC-4 : AST/EDT

Buyer’s Premiums will be added on all items as per the Terms & Conditions of the sale. Invoices will be emailed out after The Toronto Coin Expo.

1694-N [Montpellier Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers, Gadoury 91 type. Choice Very Fine, a very well struck example, made more interesting because it is a well-made CONTEMPORARY COUNTERFEIT, struck in copper, and on a much thicker planchet than found for the Sol type. There is no trace of an undertype present (some of the counterfeit Sols were struck over copper Double Tournois pieces), and the planchet is mostly round which suggests it was struck on virgin copper planchet stock. Definitely not a regal issue, but one that would have been most deceptive if it was originally silvered (though no trace of silvering exists and it may well have circulated even though it was clearly the wrong metal!). The legends appear to be mostly from letter punches, though a few letters appear hand-engraved; the same is true with the date where the first three digits appear to be from punches, the final 4 engraved and a bit too large in size. The differents here are incorrect, but are at least reasonably close to the official ones. Likely engraved with an original for comparison as things match up pretty well in terms of legend placement. Compared to the laughably crude counterfeits the present example is something of a masterpiece of the form! Also extremely rare – the denomination was not saved in great number by collectors of the day, and counterfeits would have been scorned for the better part of 250 years after they were made! In many ways the story that counterfeits can tell are often more interesting than the regal issues.