1/2 Franc - Louis-Philippe I pattern of Bovy with a module of 1/2 franc

Antoine Bovy submitted this pattern in 1848 as the July Monarchy was collapsing beneath Louis-Philippe's feet — the king abdicated in February of that year, making any coinage bearing his portrait immediately obsolete before production could begin. Bovy, a Geneva-born medallist who had served as engraver at the Paris Mint since 1840, produced several module variants of this design, which accounts for the "var." qualifications in both the Mazard and Vinchon-Guilloteau references.

The brass composition confirms this was never intended for circulation — a trial piece only, struck to demonstrate the design at scale.