Austrian Netherlands, Francis I, 10 Sovereigns
1751 - Antwerp - Gold - AU(55-58)
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Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust in the antique style of Francis I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, on the right, wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Crowned double-headed imperial eagle, wearing a crowned shield and holding a sceptre and sword, resting on a Burgundy cross, all surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
An exceptional and gigantic coin, struck in the name of Francis I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and an absolute rarity! Traces of the mounting are visible on the reverse at 3h and 9h, as well as traces of cleaning that have left hairlines. The overall condition remains excellent and it seems clear that this particular specimen, despite its mounting, has had very little circulation, despite some slight flat on the obverse, this is the part that has been cleaned the most, and has probably only been worn as jewellery on rare and prestigious occasions. From the 1750s onwards, the Austrian court wanted to mint coins for the Austrian Netherlands in the name and title of Francis I. This raised many questions and caused a great deal of caution, as Francis I was not sovereign in these lands, but only co-regent, and it was feared that the States of Brabant would object. Coins of "five double-sovereigns" were nonetheless issued, albeit in very small quantities, but were never incorporated into monetary circulation and probably only circulated in private hands, as patterns or pleasure coins. Some were mounted as jewellery, like our example. It was not until 1755 that Vienna eventually forced the hand of the local authorities and had silver coins minted in the name of Francis I for circulation.
FRANC·D·G·R·I·S· A·GE·IER·R·LO·B·M·H·D·
IN TE DOMINE·SPERAVI·1751·(hand)
55.42 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
An “AU(55-58)” quality
As in numismatics, it is important that the state of conservation of an item be carefully evaluated before it is offered to a discerning collector with a keen eye.
This initially obscure acronym comprising two words describing the state of conservation is explained clearly here:
About Uncirculated(55-58)
This means – more prosaically – that the coin has been in circulation but sufficiently little that its original beauty is preserved almost in its entirety. The wear is barely visible and any other defect can only be identified with a magnifying glass or a particularly keen eye. The number (55-58) indicates that between three quarters and almost all of the original luster remains.
