1/2 Franc - Louis XIII

Louis XIII was nine years old when these pieces were struck, with his mother Marie de Médicis ruling as regent following the assassination of Henri IV in 1610. The regency was deeply unstable — noble factions were openly competing for influence, and the young king would not effectively assume personal rule until the early 1620s. Coins issued under his name during this window carry a political fiction: the authority of a sovereign who had none.

Duplessy 1312 is documented across multiple mint cities, each distinguished by its mint mark. Attributing a specific example to its issuing atelier is the first task with any piece from this type.