½ Franc - Henry IV

Henry IV's half-franc issues of the early 1600s were struck against a backdrop of monetary reconstruction following the Wars of Religion, which had left French coinage in a state of chronic debasement and counterfeiting. The 1602–1604 dates correspond to a period of active ordonnance reform under Sully, who was systematically overhauling royal finances after decades of civil war expenditure.

Multiple provincial mints struck this type simultaneously, each identified by a distinct mint mark — accounting for the considerable variation in surface quality and die workmanship collectors encounter across examples.