Brittany. Jean V (1399-1442) gold Florin d'Or au chevalier ND (1420-1423) MS62 NGC, Vannes mint, Fr-94, PdA-1119 var. (punctuation), Dup-266, Boudeau-Unl., Bigot-1013 var. (punctuation), Jéz-321a, cf. Dhénin, "Florin et Double-Florin de Bretagne" (Revue Numismatique Vol. 15, 1973), pg. 213, 2 (2 examples recorded). 2.90gm. 1st Emission. (rosette) IOhΛnЄS • DЄI • GRΛ • B | RITOnV • DVX • V (rosette stops), Jean, crowned and armored on horseback, brandishing sword in right hand, and holding shield in left, advancing right / +DЄVS • InΛDIVTORIV • mЄV • InTЄnDЄ (rosette stops), cross fleuillue with rosettes in angles, all within quadrilobe with ermines in spandrels. Truly a masterpiece of the coinage of independent Brittany, executed in needle-sharp detail across an essentially full and unbent flan. Of far greater rarity than the second emission, O pointé, type from Vannes, we have not been able to locate a single other 1st Emission example coming to auction in recent years, with Dhénin reporting that he studied a total of just three 1st Emission specimens (from 2 die pairs), versus fourteen 2nd Emission pieces in his article "Florin et Double-Florin de Bretagne." From a visual standpoint, it is easy to say that not a detail on this coin goes underrepresented, the strike generally free of doubling or noticeable softness. For the sake of completeness, we note a very fine flan crack that following the outline of the front of the knight's figure.

HID09801242017

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