France: Brittany. Charles de Blois (1341-1364) gold Royal d'Or ND (1358-1359) AU53 NGC,...

Description

A Stunning Example of the First Gold Type of Brittany - One of a Handful Known from These Dies

Brittany. Charles de Blois (1341-1364) gold Royal d'Or ND (1358-1359) AU53 NGC, Uncertain mint (possibly Rennes or Nantes), Fr-92, PdA-463 var. (legends), Dup-108, Boudeau-58, Bigot-397 var. (legends), Jéz-98d. 3.58gm. KΛROL: DЄI: GRΛ BRITΛnORu: DuX (double pellet within annulet stops), Charles, crowned and mantled, standing facing beneath Gothic dais, lis-tipped scepter in right hand, left raised with index finger outstretched, pointing to R in BRITANORV, star on breast / +XPC: VInCIT: XPC: RЄGnΛT: XPC: IMPЄRΛT (double pellet within annulet stops), cross fleuronée with rosette at center and lis in angles; all within tressure. A remarkable emission that is often found missing from even the most advance collections of French and Breton coinage, and the sole gold type produced under Charles de Blois. Long known for his ascetic behavior, Charles married Jeanne de Penthièvre in June 1337, placing him in the position to extend a claim on the throne of Brittany against the House of Montfort in the Breton War of Succession (1341-1364). During this conflict, both parties proceeded to issue imitative coinage that copied the circulating issues of the French crown, as well as neighboring Flanders and England. While the parallel designs to the official types allowed such coins to circulate more freely, their generally lower standards of fineness betrayed the more lucrative designs of both claimants in the war. The sole gold coinage to survive from the conflict (no gold issues of the Montforts are known), Charles' Royal d'Or--introduced not long after his release from captivity in England in 1356--certainly demonstrate an unmistakably regal character. Abandoning the ancient motifs of Breton coinage in favor of the contemporary Royal d'Or of his cousin, Jean II le Bon, introduced on 22 August 1358, this issue portrays Charles crowned and wearing the ducal mantle, with the star on his breast meant to symbolize the Order of the Star introduced by Jean II. Indeed, the French crown is well-known to have supported Charles' claim in the war, and it has been suggested that coins such as this may have constituted part of the payment used to ransom Charles from the English. The production of a Breton coinage further situated Charles well within the wider minting landscape of the period, princely workshops proliferating following the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War, with operations opening in Dauphiné and Burgundy in 1327, Perpignan in 1340, and in Provence and Savoy in 1351.

Following Charles' death during the Battle of Auray in 1364 and the victory of Jean de Montfort, an effort was made to withdraw all of Charles' coinage from circulation. Though it is difficult to trace the precise number of Royals that survive down to the present, we would note that in 1860, Benjamin Fillon suggested in the catalog of Jean Rousseau's collection that perhaps only 6 or 7 across all varieties were then known (see no. 6). While further specimens have certainly come to light in the past 160 years--the Musée Thomas Dobrée suggests 12 now known--it is notable that neither Poey d'Avant nor Bigot recorded these dies; we have been able to locate a single other example having come to market in recent years--a far inferior piece that came heavily bent and was sold in France in March 2019. For his part, Jézéquel recorded just a single other specimen from the same dies in the Musée Thomas Dobrée in Nantes (cat. 1973 no. 254), to which we may add the piece in the Musée de Bretagne in Rennes (inventory no. 989.0032.1). The Musée Dobrée notes an additional 3 sales in France with Charles' index finger pointing to the R in BRITANORV, though it does not distinguish the punctuation in the legends. As far as we are aware, the Bibliothèque Nationale does not contain an example from these dies. Given this piece's above all standout presentation, and long absence from the market, we can only anticipate the flurry of bidding activity that will accompany it as Breton collectors vie to add this treasure to their numismatic cabinets.

Metal: Gold
Diameter: 27mm

More information about French Coins. See also: France World Coin Nationality.

View Certification Details from NGC