France: ca. 1380-1422 gold Ecu d'or of Charles VI, from the Lucerne Abbey Treasure (100 Years' War)

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Dec 21, 2025.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    France: ca. 1380-1422 gold Ecu d'or of Charles VI, from the Lucerne Abbey Treasure (100 Years' War)

    PCGS MS64. Cert. #51158852.     Numista-126254. Duplessy Royales 369D.
    Saint-Lô mint. Diameter: 28 mm. Weight: 3.77 g.

    Ex-Thomas Numismatics, 18 June 2025, via their MA-Shops storefront. Prior provenance to the Beaussant Lefèvre – Thierry Parsy (Hundred Years' War hoard) sale, 30 June 2009, Lot 231.

    This coin is a gold Ecu d'or of Charles VI of France, who was known variously as "the Beloved" and "the Mad". It was part of a treasure hoard of 2,665 gold coins found in terracotta and metal pots at Lucerne Abbey in Normandy, France, where it had been deposited during the protracted Hundred Years' War between France and England. This treasure, unearthed between 1968 and 1970, is often referred to as The Hundred Years' War Hoard. The auctioning of the treasure in the early 21st century helped to restore the abbey.

    01-frame.png 02-Trueview.png 06-obv.png 07-rev.png 08-slab.png Lucerne Abbey.png

    402094
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 21, 2025
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  3. Yankee42

    Yankee42 Well-Known Member

    Beautiful coin
     
    Yankee42, Dec 21, 2025
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    lordmarcovan likes this.
  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Thank you. It was very expensive, but I had to have it.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 21, 2025
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  5. GinoLR

    GinoLR Well-Known Member

    Charles VI, who signed "the shameful treaty of Troyes" (as old French history textbooks used to call it). This man was completely nuts, but history taught us it is not much of a problem for being head of state.
    C. 1420, one day or one night, burglars broke into the Louvre. It wasn't yet the museum we know, it was a medieval fortress in the outskirts of Paris, but it already kept the precious regalia. The burglars stole the parade helmet of Charles VI, made of gilded copper with enamel. They broke it in 150 pieces to remove the gold plating, and discarded the pieces in the castle moat, where archaeologists found it in the 1980s. Because of the inscribed motto "EN BIEN", this helmet was positively identified as the helmet of Charles VI.
    The sad thing is that the Louvre's security didn't improve that much since the early 15th century...

    [​IMG]
     
    GinoLR, Dec 21, 2025
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    Cucumbor, Bing, Tall Paul and 3 others like this.
  6. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Now THAT was an interesting historical tidbit (speaking of buried treasure of the period). Thanks!
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 21, 2025
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