172

1695-“Dot in Circle” [Pau Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers de France-Navarre-Bearn, Gadoury 94.

Currency:CAD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:200.00 CAD Estimated At:500.00 - 600.00 CAD
1695-“Dot in Circle” [Pau Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers de France-Navarre-Bearn, Gadoury 94.

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.

1695-“Dot in Circle” [Pau Mint] Sol de 15 Deniers de France-Navarre-Bearn, Gadoury 94. Very Fine or nearly there, about the finest one could ever hope to find for a Pau mint issue! Struck on a virgin planchet, though one that is not perfectly round, which is typical for a mint that had such poor quality control; there are no traces of an undertype visible, even in the weakly struck area, so we are confident this is on a virgin planchet. Weak at the left side of the obverse, though much of the legend there can be made out, the letters just fainter than the rest, as is the case for the date. The rest of the legend on this side is strong, the distinct shield is as sharp as any we have seen – Pau mint issues simply do not come nice, and Gadoury needed to use a drawing to illustrate this number in his book, instead of using an actual coin! The reverse is more evenly struck, the legend full, the individual letters all strong, and the curious “dot in a circle” mintmark bold at the center. Medium gray, the surfaces lightly rough and with a dark circular toning spot on the obverse and some light green flecks on the reverse. Better than nearly all of the few Pau mint issues of this type we have ever seen – if one holds out for a truly nice Pau issue for this type, one will likely spend a lifetime waiting! Gadoury lists the mintage as a paltry 24,500 coins, but lists them all as recoined pieces, and the date is UNLISTED on a flan neuf as here. An exceptional opportunity for the advanced collector.