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1720-A [Paris Mint] John Law Silver 1/3 Ecu, Gadoury 306.

Currency:CAD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:150.00 CAD Estimated At:350.00 - 400.00 CAD
1720-A [Paris Mint] John Law Silver 1/3 Ecu, Gadoury 306.
SOLD
190.00CAD+ (38.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2019 May 02 @ 19:34UTC-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.

1720-A [Paris Mint] John Law Silver 1/3 Ecu, Gadoury 306. About Uncirculated, struck over an earlier Petite d’Argent of 1720 – a coin that was literally struck just a few months earlier and likely never circulated! Much of the distinct reverse design can be seen, including the mintmark at the center of the cross – which is also an A mint, which suggests that the original coin never actually left the mint before it was overstruck! The original 1720 date can be faintly seen below the shoulder, which means the coin has two different designs bearing the same date and same mintmark, certainly an unusual occurrence! Lovely light golden toning, with just light rub at the highest points of the obverse – given the lack of marks from circulation that could actually just be cabinet friction. The obverse was struck from a late state of the die, with crumbling in the legend and field. The Paris Mint struck more of the Petite d’Argents in 1720 than any other mint – some 11 million of them. It struck nearly as many of the 1/3 Ecus in the same year, 1.5 million of which were struck over the earlier coinage, making the recoined version the rarer of the two. This massive output of silver coins explains why they struck relatively few of the copper coins during the John Law years. Collectors may not be aware that the recoined issues were literally marked as such – the dies used to strike them have a trefoil under the obverse bust, whereas the dies used to strike coins on new planchets did not. While this date and mint is not rare, this is certainly a choice example, made even more desirable because of the prominent overstrike.