France: 1756-L silver écu of Louis XV, Bayonne mint

France: 1756-L silver écu of Louis XV, Bayonne mint

NGC VF25. Cert. #6981445-002.

Numista-27738. Krause-Mishler-512.12.

.917 silver, .8694 oz. Diameter: 41 mm. Weight: 29.48 g.

Struck at Bayonne ("L" mintmark) under the reign of King Louis XV.

These large silver dollar-sized coins were struck on planchets (blanks) which were roughly weight-adjusted with a file before striking. As such, they often still showed the file adjustment marks after striking. There are traces of adjustment marks visible on the obverse of this example (notably on Louis' portrait) but they are not particularly egregious or distracting in this particular case.

Ex-B&R Coins & Currency, at the 2026 FUN show in Orlando, Florida, 10 January 2026.



016000

 

A lot people do. Me, I couldn't wean myself off of including minors, but I can understand the folks who focus entirely on Crown sized coins. It is particularly easy to understand because my eyesight is not what it once was, and bigger coins are easier to see.