1/2 Franc - Louis XIII, buste drapé et cuirassé, type vieilli

Louis XIII's coinage underwent a significant reform in 1640–1641, driven by monetary disorder and the crown's need to align French silver with the heavier Spanish and Dutch pieces flooding cross-border trade. The "type vieilli" — the aged bust — reflects the king's deteriorating health in his final years; he would die in May 1643, and this issue was already transitioning to regency coinage well before his death.

Production was split across multiple provincial mints, which accounts for the die variation catalogued across the Gadoury references.