1/2 Ecu of Dauphiné with insignia - Louis XIV

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regional coinage tied to the ancient province, and this half-écu belongs to a single short-lived type that was superseded within a few years by yet another monetary reorganization.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.