(sold for $670.0)

1547, Royal France, Francis I. Gold Ecu (with Sun) Coin. Bayonne! PCGS AU-58!

Mint Place: Bayonne Mint Period: 1515-1547 References: Friedberg 345, Duplessy 775. R! Condition: Certified and graded by PCGS as AU-58! Denomination: Ecu d'or au soleil ("Gold Ecu with Sun") Diameter: 36mm Weight: 3.37gm Material: Gold!

Obverse: Sun above crowned shield with french royal arms (three lis symbols). Legend: + D (privy mark: achor) FRANCISCVS : D : G : FRANCORVM : REX

Reverse: Ornate cross with fleur de lis terminals and rosette center. Two lis symbols and two large letters F (for Francois) in fields. Legend: + D : (privy mark: anchor) : XPS : VINCIT : XPS : REGNAT : XPS : INPER

Francis I (French: François Ier; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547), was king of France from 1515 until his death.

Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch. His reign saw France make immense cultural advances. He was a c ontemporary of Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire, with whom he was allied in a Franco-Ottoman alliance, as well as of Henry VIII of England and of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, his great rivals.

Francis' legacy is generally considered a mixed one. He achieved great cultural feats, but they came at the expense of France's economic well-being.

The persecution of the Protestants was to lead France into decades of civil war, which did not end until 1598 with the Edict of Nantes.