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1/2 Franc - Louis-Philippe I pattern of Bovy with a module of 1/2 franc
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1843 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2 g |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing laureate effigy of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, his hair elaborately curled and crowned with an oak wreath, with a ribbon tied at the nape of the neck. The circular legend reads LOUIS PHILIPPE I to the left and ROI DES FRANÇAIS to the right, following the coin's rim. The word ESSAI appears in the lower exergue beneath the portrait, denoting the trial or pattern status of this piece. The beaded border frames the entire design. The engraving style is characteristic of the Geneva medallic workshop of Jean-François Antoine Bovy. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Antoine Bovy was the Swiss-born engraver appointed to the Paris Mint in 1840, and this 1843 pattern belongs to a sustained effort to reform French fractional coinage during Louis-Philippe's reign — a project that never reached circulation. The July Monarchy produced an unusual volume of bronze pattern essays for denominations already being struck in silver, partly as metallurgical experimentation and partly as internal lobbying by mint engravers seeking commissions.
The Mazeau reference 1161a distinguishes this from closely related Bovy essays of the same period that differ in edge treatment or planchet preparation.