(sold for $16.0)

1662, Royal France. Brass Provost of the Merchants (Mayor) of Paris Medal. VF

Mint year: 1662 Mint Place: Paris References: F. ? Condition: Traces of a previous silver-plating, interesting planchet imperfections (which seem to be mint-made!), otehrwise a well-circulated VF! Denomination: Medal/Jetton - Provost of the Merchants (Mayor) of Paris Alexandre de Sève, who was in office  from 1654–1662. Diameter: 27mm Weight: 6.76gm Material: Brass

Obverse: Date (1662) above coat-of-arms of Paris. Legend: * DE . LA . 4e . PREVOSTE DE Mre ALEXANDRE DE SEVE Reverse: Sea-monster in open sea. Decorative ornament in exergue. Legend: QVIS . MANGE . MALIVS . SVCCEDET . ACHILLI .

Before the French Revolution, the municipality of Paris was headed by the provost of the merchants (French: prévôt des marchands). On 14 July 1789, at the end of the afternoon, following the storming of the Bastille, the provost of the merchants of Paris, Jacques de Flesselles, was shot by the crowd on the steps of Paris city hall. The next day, the first mayor of Paris (French: maire de Paris) was elected.

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A provost (introduced into Scots from French) is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt (French pronunciation: [pʁeˈvoː]) was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Régime France.