(Venduta per $82.0)

1748, Royal France, Louis XV. Large Silver Ecu (French Dollar) Coin. Montpellier!

Mint Year: 1748 References:  KM-512.14. Mint Place: Montpellier (N)  Denomination: Ecu (French Dollar) Condition: Minor deposits and spots (environmental damage), otherwise about XF! Diameter: 41mm Weight: 29.2gm Material: Silver

Obverse: Head of Louis XV left, privy mark below. Legend: LUD . XV . D . G . FR . ET . NAV . REX . Reverse: Crowned oval arms with three fleur de lis inside, flanked by olive branches. Legend: SIT . NOMEN . DOMINI (N) BENEDICTUM . 1748

Louis XV (Versailles, 15 February 1710 – Versailles, 10 May 1774) ruled as King   of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May   1774. Coming to the throne at the age of five, Louis reigned until 15   February 1723, the date of his thirteenth birthday, with the aid of the   Régent, Philippe, duc d'Orléans, his great-uncle, thereafter taking   formal personal control of government.

Unexpectedly surviving the death of most of the royal   family, he enjoyed a favourable reputation at the beginning of his   reign and earned the epithet "le Bien-Aimé" ("the Beloved").   However, in time, his lack of morals, general inability to effectively   reform France and the Monarchy, and the perceived failings of his   foreign policy lost him the affection of his people, and he ended his   life amongst the most unpopular kings of France.

While historians have traditionally treated Louis XV   harshly, more recent research has suggested that he was in fact very   intelligent and dedicated to the task of ruling the largest state in   Europe, bar Russia. His nagging indecision, fueled by his awareness of   the complexity of problems ahead, as well as his profound timidity,   hidden behind the mask of an imperious king, may account for the poor   results achieved during his reign. In many ways, Louis XV prefigures the   "bourgeois rulers" of the romantic 19th century. While dutifully   playing the role of the mighty king carved out by his predecessor and   great-grandfather, Louis XIV, Louis XV in fact cherished nothing more   than his private life far away from the pomp and ceremony of Court.   Having lost his mother while still little more than an infant, he longed   for a reassuring and motherly presence, which he tried to find in the   intimate company of women, something for which he was much criticized   both during and after his life.