Description
Kingdom of France. Louis XV, 1715-1774. 1/4 Louis d'or de Noailles 1717, Paris. Gold 3.05 g.; 19 mm.
Obverse: Crowned head of Louis XV on the left, wearing long hair. Obverse caption: LVD·XV·D·G·FR·ET·NAV·REX //
Reverse: Four crowned arms of France and Navarre forming a cross, flanked by four lis and with the mint mark in heart. Reverse caption: CHRS·REGN·VINC·IMP.
Gadoury: 325. Clairand: 34006.
In all likelihood, this copy has had little circulation but has been struck with very worn dies, revealing numerous small breaks in various places in the crown, legends, shields and lilies. Traces of lamination on the flan are accentuated in photographs and less noticeable to the naked eye. PCGS graded MS 64
Comment
An exceptionally fine and exceedingly rare copy! Particularly noteworthy is the reuse of the Louis bust on the divisionals. The lack of space for a crowned head on this small divisional is particularly striking. On the quarter, the bust takes up all the space in the field until it touches the legend at the level of the crown, while the year is inserted with difficulty, engraved very small under the truncation of the bust trimmed for the occasion in a particularly visible way!
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