1/2 Franc - Louis XIII

Louis XIII's half-franc issues of this period fall squarely within the monetary reorganization imposed by the royal edict of 1640, which formally introduced the louis d'or and louis d'argent and effectively began displacing older franc-denominated silver from official use. Coins of this type were already being squeezed out of the system even as they were being struck.

The Dy royales 1326 reference covers multiple mint marks across several French ateliers — Paris, Rouen, and others — with meaningful rarity differences between them. Provincial mint output during the Thirty Years' War was erratic, subject to silver supply disruptions tied directly to French military expenditure under Richelieu.