411, Lot: 513. Estimate $100. Sold for $100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CAROLINGIANS. temp. Charles le Chauve (the Bald) – Louis d'Outremer. Circa 875-950. AR Denier (22mm, 1.59 g, 8h). Immobilized type of Charles the Bald as king of West Francia. Metullo (Melle) mint. + CΛRLVS REX FR, cross pattée / + MET + VLLO, Karolus monogram. Depeyrot 627; cf. M&G 1064; MEC 1, 943. Near VF, toned, typical crude strike.

From the Simon Coupland Collection, purchased from ebaY France, October 2005.

Hoard evidence reveals that in the 860s the very prolific mint at the Melle silver mine added a cross to the mint name on the reverse: MET+VLLO, perhaps even in the year 864, when the rest of the coinage was reformed. This type evidently continued to be struck until around 920, despite the accession of a series of rulers who were not named Charles. At that stage it was replaced by the MET-ALO coinage, which in turn went on to become immobilised. The style of this coin, with its thick lettering, cross and monogram, suggests it was struck later in the series. Metal analysis of the type undertaken by Guillaume Sarah indicates however that even if the style degenerated, the purity of the Melle coinage did not, with silver levels remaining above 90%. [S. Coupland]