The BRN Collection of Medieval French Coinage

425, Lot: 675. Estimate $400. Sold for $700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

FRANCE, Royal. Hugues Capet. 987–996. AR Denier (22mm, 1.17 g, 9h). Belvacus (Beauvais) mint. Struck by Hervé, Bishop of Beauvais. (HE)R[VEVS] HVGO REX, cross pattée; pellet in second and third quarters / [BELVΛ]CVS CIVITΛ[S], karolus monogram. Duplessy 1; Lafaurie 6; Ciani 12; Poey d'Avant 6455; Boudeau 1891; Roberts 2251. VF, toned, typical areas of weak strike. Clear name of Hughes. Rare.

From the BRN Collection, purchased from Andy Singer, June 2003.

This coin type is the first royal French coin type, and the only obtainable type in the name of Hughes as king. The whole of the coinage of Hughes Capet, as king, is composed of deniers and obols from Beauvais, and deniers from Laon. The rarity of the Beauvais deniers is comparable to the pennies of the English king William II, while the Beauvais obols and Laon deniers are even rarer. These coins were poorly struck, and many of the dies were crudely engraved. Rather than being official products of the crown, the Beauvais coins were struck by Hervé, the bishop of Beauvais from 987 to 998. As such, it is also considered a feudal issue, and is listed in both French royal and feudal references. The reason for the bishop's coining of this type is unknown.