I already own an Ecu of Louis XVI with a young portrait but never the fat head. So I caved and bought a fat head. It may not be 1793 but it's OK, I like the circ cameo look too. You should like this one too @lordmarcovan Louis XVI (1774-1792 A.D.) AR Ecu Livre tournois (6 Livres) France, 1st Republic O: LOUIS XVI ROI DES FRANÇOIS : Head left. Privy mark (leopard) and date below. R: REGNE DE LA LOI. L'AN 4 DE LA LIBERTE, Winged and wreathed Genius (personification of the French People) inscribing table (the French Constitution) on column. Fasces, topped by liberty cap in left field, cock in right field. Rouen Mint 29.4g 39mm Dy# 1718, KM#615.3
The adjustment marks are a bit extreme but everything else looks good, and yep- that's definitely got nice CircCam contrast. You might wanna swab the genius/angel's head with a little acetone to be sure that trace of green isn't PVC. Might just be something else.
I haven't owned an ecu in decades. Was pretty tempted by this one recently but couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger. It remains in watchlist limbo for the time being. I like the coin. Only the price was the sticking point. My last silver ecu was a Louis XV Bearn issue like this, but like your coin, it had some hard adjustment marks. They must've gotten pretty heavyhanded with those files at the mint sometimes, on those big silver flans.
The adjustment marks don't bother me in the slightest. And I did use some acetone and yeah, there was a lot of green & grime. So it's not as cameo as when the pic was taken but it's still got a contrast. My young head: Louis XVI (1754 - 1793 A.D.) AR Écu aux branches d'olivier O: LUD•XVI•D•G•FR• - ET• NA•RE•BD(entrelacées); Ornamental stitching on uniform. R: • SIT NOMEN DOMINI - BENEDICTUM 1783 A, Crowned arms of France within branches. Paris Mint 42mm 29.48g Dy# 1708, KM 564.1
I dunno why, but for some reason I like the "fat head" Louis XVI portraits. Same with Henry VIII of England. Especially with Henry VIII of England. I had a H8 halfgroat once with a younger, handsome portrait, and found myself wanting one with the older, fatter, scowly-jowly Henry VIII on it. Never got one. Only other H8 coin I've owned was that non-portrait Irish harp groat that went to you.
I have both HVIII. You can see them in the post below: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/henry-viii-and-his-wives.355137/#post-4124212 I parted with the Irish groat to another collector on here after I got these other groats.
Really nice! French silver from this period can have some brutal adjustment marks. Those really aren't bad and the overall circ cam look is great.
I have a 1776 ECU that I bought because of the adjustment marks. I had never seen a coin with so many of them at that point in my collecting career. I was going to post a photo but just realized how lousy the ones I have are. I will try to re-image it tonight.
Is the privy mark a leopard with a flag? Otherwise I don’t understand the shape at all. That’s a crazy big silver coin. Congrats
Agnus Dei motif with vexillum. ("Lamb of God with a banner", in other words. But yeah, it does kinda look like "leopard with a flag" there.) .
Here's my own example. Too many scratches on the obverse, but I like the reverse: AR Ecu de 6 livres françois, Paris 1792 (L'An 4), Mintmark A. Obv. Bare head Left, LOUIS XVI ROI DES FRANCOIS/ Rev. Winged Genius of France standing right, inscribing Constitution on tablet set on column; in left field, fasces topped by liberty cap; in right field, rooster standing left; REGNE DE LA LOI. In exergue, in two lines: L'AN 4 DE LA LIBERTE. KM 615.1, Davenport 1335, Gadoury 55. 39 mm., 29.4 g. Purchased March 5, 1986 from Harmer, Rooke.
I finally got around to taking pictures of my 1776. They are better than the ones I had but still not quite there yet. Anyway, there are pretty significant adjustment marks on the reverse. They are much more pronounced than the images show.
A few years ago I did an educational program for the local coin club about numismatic items from 1776. This one of the pieces I used.
My Louix XVI Ecu: France Ecu 1784-A Paris Silver, 41.0 mm x 42.0 mm, 29.10 gm Obverse: Louis XVI facing left LUD XVI DG FR ET NAV REX (Louis 16th by the Grace of God France and Navarre King) Reverse: Crowned shield with wreath and three fleur de lis SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM 1784 (Blessed be the name of the Lord) Mintmark: 'A' (Paris)
