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1/2 Ecu of Dauphiné with insignia - Louis XIV
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1702 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13.54 g |
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| Obverse description | Draped and cuirassed bust of Louis XIV facing right, wearing a laurel wreath and flowing wig, with armored pauldron and lace cravat visible at the truncation. The effigy is rendered in high relief in the mature late-baroque portrait style typical of the reign. A circular beaded inner border frames the design, with the Latin royal legend distributed around the periphery. The portrait occupies the majority of the field, leaving only a narrow margin between the bust truncation and the lower border. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The "écu aux insignes" series was introduced by Louis XIV in 1701–1702 as part of a broader monetary reform aimed at restoring confidence in French silver coinage following decades of debasement and the financial strain of the Nine Years' War. The Dauphiné mint at Grenoble — identified by its Z mintmark — had a long history of producing regional coinage tied to the ancient province, and this half-écu belongs to a single short-lived type that was superseded within a few years by yet another monetary reorganization.
The "insignes" designation refers to the distinctive reverse arrangement rather than the crowned-L monogram type it replaced in 1701. Production across all mints was uneven; Grenoble's output for this type was modest relative to Paris.