FRANCE. 1/2 Ecu, 1791-A. Paris Mint. Louis XVI (1774-92). PCGS MS-64 Gold Shield.

KM-562.1; Dup-1709; Gad-355. Heron, no dot, 1st Semester variety. Exhibiting light to medium obverse pewter coloration with a shoreline of garnet-orange tone along the portrait and through the legends. The reverse is a bit more smoky with plenty of pop from the underlying luster. A true masterpiece of numismatic art is offered here for your consideration, and in a near-Gem (MS-64) state of preservation that unsurpassed at PCGS or NGC. An offering of great importance for the collector of elite issues, as coins of this quality tend to remain off the market for many years. Struck the year after Louis XVI had been deposed, but before the Jacobins and Girondins (two revolutionary factions) could decide on what to do with him. The Jacobins eventually prevailed and the king was executed less than 2 years later.