FRENCH COLONIES. 1670-A 5 Sols. Paris Mint. Martin 2-A, Lecompte-186

Classic 1670-A French Colonies 5 Sols FRENCH COLONIES. 1670-A 5 Sols. Paris Mint. Martin 2-A, Lecompte-186, Hodder-3, W-11605. EF-40 (PCGS). Pleasant surfaces are smooth for the grade with rich toning in charcoal-olive and mauve-gray. This piece is well centered in strike and overall boldly defined to further tempt the colonial type collector. Without question, the 1670 issues for the French Colonies of the New World are the focal rarities of the entire French Colonial series. Syd Martin's 2015 work French Coinage Specifically for Colonial America included his exacting research on the series, both technical numismatic data and historical background. The sum of his remarkable work on these coins will be very difficult to surpass. From its first American mention, the 1670 GLORIAM REGNI coinage has been attributed primarily to Canada, based upon Prof. Charles Anthon's discovery of a reference to the coinage in the 1690 Traite des Monnoyes by Francois LeBlanc (there identified as "America - Canada"). This attribution has carried on to the present day, though Jerome Jambu's 2021 article in the Journal of Early American Numismatics ("The Coins Made 'for the Islands and Mainland of America' by the French West India Company (1670)") provides strong original source evidence arguing that these coins were intended not just primarily, but solely, for the islands of the French West Indies. Recounting the first abortive plan for a coinage for the French West Indies in 1665, and the documents that lead to the coinage of 1670, Jambu links the issue to efforts to Christianize the natives of the islands by maintaining a healthy population of Frenchmen, Christian men (and their families) who would need to conduct small scale commerce with a form of money not linked to the annual sugar crop. The reverse legend of the GLORIAM REGNI coins offer a link to these evangelical goals. The legend "Gloria regni tui dicent" comes from Psalm 144: "They will tell of the glory of Your reign and speak of Your power to make known this power to the sons of men, and the magnificent glory of Your kingdom." The portion seen on the coin design represents the first clause: they will tell the glory of Your reign. Jambu sourced documents that show the GLORIAM REGNI 5 sols and 15 sols were struck at the Paris Mint between July 7 and September 4, 1670. Published mintages of 40,000 (for the 15 sols) and 200,000 (for the 5 sols) fairly neatly match Jambu's calculated mintages of 40,877 and 199,087, respectively. The French West Indies Company transported these coins to Martinique, and distribution began in earnest in 1671. An ordinance published on Martinique on February 9 of that year referenced the "introduction of coins," and by year-end the coins had also been delivered to Guadeloupe and the smaller islands of the French Antilles. Struck from good silver and at good weight, with only their legends to distinguish them from mainland French types, the coins quickly left the islands via trade. Despite the explicit proscription of French mainland circulation of the coins, many returned to Europe. Others bounced around the western Atlantic, and hoard evidence shows many did find their way to Canada. Undoubtedly some reached the ports of the English colonies as well. There appear to be roughly 17 examples of the 1670-A 15 sols known. Martin recorded 15 discrete specimens, plus a number of earlier appearances or mentions that could not be matched or traced. Two examples that do not appear to have been previously counted have come to market since the 2015 publication of the Martin book. The 1670-A 5 sols, while very scarce and highly sought after, are the only collectible coins from this historic emission. Building upon work done Walter Breen, Bob Vlack, and others, Syd identified 15 obverse dies and 14 reverse dies. In his 1988 Encyclopedia, Breen noted "7 minor vars." After Syd turned his remarkable numismatic talents to this series, we now know of 21, none more common than Rarity-7 individually. Martin's survey of 1670-A 5 sols in major collections located five examples of the 2-A variety; it is one of the more common die marriages he encountered. The 5 sols, as a type, is considered Rarity-4. It is encountered in a breathtaking range of grades, from nearly slick to choice Mint State, though middle circulated grades are the most frequently encountered. Provenance: From the Emerald Coast Collection. PCGS# 158627. NGC ID: 2AUW. Click here for certification details from PCGS.

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