FRANCE, Royal. Philippe IV le Bel (the Fair). 1285–1314. AV Denier d’or à la masse (30mm, 6.96 g, 7h). First emission, authorized 10 January 1296. Near EF.

Keystone 16 – The David C. Bianchi II Collection
Lot: 450.
Closing Date: May 20 2026 10:00 ET

Medieval & Early Modern World – France, Gold

Estimate: $ 5 000

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FRANCE, Royal. Philippe IV le Bel (the Fair). 1285–1314. AV Denier d’or à la masse (30mm, 6.96 g, 7h). First emission, authorized 10 January 1296. + PhILIPPVS : DЄI : GRA : FRANChORVM : REX (triple annulet stops), Philippe enthroned facing on lion head throne, holding lis-tipped scepter and lis; all within tressure of nine arcs, with lis at cusps and annulets in spandrels / + XP’C : VINCIT : XP’C : RЄGNAT : XP’C : IMPЄRAT (triple pellet stops), cross feuillue and fleuronnée; in center of cross, quatrefoil within quadrilobe; lis in quarters; all within angled quadrilobe; angles ending in trefoils. Duplessy 208; Ciani 196; Friedberg 254. Lightly toned, faint hairlines, very slightly wavy flan with some weak strike, minor edge split and edge marks. Near EF. Rare.

From the David C. Bianchi II Collection. Ex Brittany Collection (Heritage 61253, 16 January 2022), lot 99063.

Philippe IV inherited from his father a monetary system featuring lower-quality fractional denominations – “black money” – paired with a wildly popular large silver coinage in the Gros tournois. Gold coinage, though briefly attempted under Louis IX, was notably absent. This system was maintained until rising bullion prices necessitated a reform in 1290, when a gold coin of roughly florin weight was introduced, thus setting the kingdom firmly on a bimetallic system. As the ration of gold to silver fluctuated, new gold issues were required, including the Denier d’or à la masse in 1296, the largest gold coin of its brief era.

Closing Date and Time: 20 May 2026 at 12:29:40 ET.



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