1710-D 30 Deniers, or Mousquetaire. Lyon Mint. Vlack-Unlisted, W-Unlisted. Copper Piedfort. VF Details--Damage (PCGS).This intriguing piece was struck from the same dies as the white metal piedfort 1710-D 30 deniers that we (Stacks) sold as lot 40 in our January 2006 Ford XIII sale. Like the present example, that piece is also unlisted in the standard references, although both Vlack and the Whitman encyclopedia include listings for silver piedforts of this issue (Vlack-2a, W-11712). Overall boldly struck on a thick planchet, the impression is drawn slightly to the viewers right with the peripheral lettering along the right obverse border quite soft. Subtle antique gold highlights decorate otherwise dark brown surfaces, the texture smooth apart from a few scattered marks, minor flan flaws along the lower right reverse border, and moderate surface scale in the center of the obverse and to the right of the crown. A shallow edge bruise at 8 oclock relative to the reverse is also noted. An undoubtedly rare, is not unique copper piedfort for this issue, we anticipate keen interest in this piece from specialists in French colonial coinage.
