The proverbial Angevin sweetness gave way to a certain fever, this Wednesday afternoon, in the Angers auction house. “There were a lot of people, but also on the internet and on the phone. It was very active, they fought a lot! », Commented, amazed, Sylvie Robaglia, from the Ivoire Angers / Deloys house, in charge of this exceptional sale from the Pays Bigouden, and composed of the 239 gold coins unearthed in Plozévet, in the fall of 2019 (but including existence was not revealed until September 1).
In a wall and the gable of a barn
In truth, only 235 pieces were auctioned by the auctioneer, Florian D’Oysonville, because the inventors of the treasure wished to keep a memory of their discovery. It was, it is true, haloed with a halo of mystery, worthy of a good novel by Maurice Leblanc. The protagonists are three craftsmen, who were working on the renovation of an old mansion, acquired by a Parisian couple, François Mion and his wife, in 2012. The site consisted of connecting the main building to a nursery and an adjoining barn. By dismantling a wall, the trio unearthed a box containing a number of gold coins. A few days later, it was in the gable of the barn that a fabric purse weighted with other Louis d’or appeared. A total of 239 gold coins, in very good condition! The booty of a smuggler? More likely the woolen stockings of wealthy landowners.
“There were really a lot of collectors”
Expertise revealed that they had been struck between 1638 and 1692, during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, in workshops located in 19 French cities. Enough to panic the numismatists of France and Navarre, who did not miss the call. “Merchants could not buy, it was so expensive. There were really a lot of collectors, ”continues Sylvie Robaglia. After five hours of rat race, the auction ended with sales exceeding one million euros (costs included), well above the 250,000-300,000 euros expected. Note that the Paris Currency Museum has preempted 19 coins.
“Until the end, it will have been a great adventure”
Among the rarities, a double Louis d’or with a long wick, struck in Dijon in 1646, when the reign of Louis XIV, aged 8, was beginning, reached 56,120 euros. An amount equal, to the nearest euro, by another Louis d’or at the Templar cross, estimated at between 8,000 and 12,000 euros at the start. “Each time, it went to three, even four times the estimate”, noted, to the angels, François Mion, the owner of the manor of Plozévet, who had wanted to attend the sale. “I didn’t think we would hit that ceiling. It was a complete flight, from the first play to the last. Until the end, it will have been a great adventure ”. The sum will soon be shared between the Mion couple and the three craftsmen, not close, a priori, to fall back on such a site …
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