Metz. Free City. Gold Florin, undated. St. Stephen holding palm branch. Rev. Two-part city arms in circle of six arches (Fr 164). In NGC holder graded XF 45. Value $1,250 - UP
Originally the capital of the Carolingian kingdom of Lotharingia in the ninth century, Metz was ruled by a series of prince-bishops in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The power of these ecclesiastical rulers was broken in 1189, when Metz received the status of an Imperial Free City of the Holy Roman Empire. In response, the prince-bishops removed themselves to nearby Vic-sur-Sielle and the burgesses of Metz declared a republic. The new Republic of Metz was governed by an oligarchy of 13 to 21 aldermen under an elected head alderman and advised by a house of burgesses. Under this government the city grew wealthy from trade and especially international banking. The wealth of the city often made it a target for attack by neighboring rulers in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In 1324, Metz successfully defended itself against the Dukes of Luxembourg and Lorraine; in 1363 and 1365, against the English brigands under the command of Arnaud de Cervole; in 1444, against Duke René of Anjou and King Charles VII of France; and in 1473, against Duke Nicholas I of Lorraine.

Metz struck its first gold florins in 1439-1450 as a reflection of both the city's wealth and its need to finance the defense of the republic against its jealous neighbors. The obverse features St. Stephen the patron saint of Metz. He is shown within a mandorla and holding a stone and palm branch to signify his status as the first Christian martyr. The palm represents his martyrdom as a victory of faith and the stone represents the means of his death. The reverse depicts the arms of the city.
Ex Terner Collection by Private Treaty.