Henri IV (1589–1610) Double Tournois of Navarre 1594, Saint-Palais, Very Rare

  

Double tournois of Navarre 1594, Saint-Palais. (Henry IV, by the grace of God, King of the Franks and of the Navarrese). Bust of Henry IV facing right, laurel-crowned and armored, with a small flat collar.

Below the bust: the coat of arms of Navarre. Three lilies arranged 2 and 1. References: Duplessy 1280 - Sombart 4196.

The double tournois of Navarre was struck for only three years, from 1593 to 1595. Stéphan Sombart, in FRANCIAE IV, reports having seen a total of 11 examples, including 4 from the 1594 date. The CGB website shows one for the year 1594, in fairly similar TTB condition to the present example. Copper, 18.5 to 20 mm - 3.50 g.

Irregular flan, oblong in shape, with a slightly granular appearance. Although the flan is short in places, the legends remain fully legible on both the obverse and reverse, which is rare for the double tournois of Navarre, which are rather crudely made. The central motifs are fairly sharp, with regular wear on the highest points of the relief. I am selling part of my collection: please take a look at my other items!