2018-12-12 Wed

Monnaies de Collection Monaco auctioned a rare gold medal issued in 1715 with a French connection for €25,000 against an opening bid of €10,000 on 15th November in Monaco.

Designed by Jean Duvivier, the medal was issued during the reign of Louis XV for the Society of Merchants which was established to trade with Americans. Jean Duvivier had engraved over 400 dies and is considered to be one of the greatest medallists of the 18th century. The obverse depicts a portrait of Louis XV while the reverse features a sailing three-masted ship. The reverse also features a French inscription which translates to “All the world is open to me. Society of Merchants founded for the islands, 1715.” The 29.61 grams gold medal has a diameter of 34 millimetres.

A copper version of the same medal has been catalogued. An extremely rare gilt silver version was sold in June 2015 and was missing from the Lucien LaRivere, John J. Ford, and John W. Adams collections. The 8.1 grams silver medal has a diameter of 34 millimetres. Another such example was a part of the Bibliotheque Nationale collection.

Image Courtesy: Monnaies de Collection Monaco