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1/2 Franc with goffered collar - Henri III
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1578-1587 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | + HE[NR]ICVS. III. D. G. FRAN. ET. POL. REX, (légende commençant à 12 heures). (Translation: Henri III, for God`s grace, king of the Franks and the Polish) |
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| Edge | Goffered (grained) |
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| Additional information |
Henri III introduced the half franc in 1577 as part of a sweeping monetary ordinance intended to rationalize France's chaotic silver coinage — a system so fragmented by regional minting practices and debasement that commerce had grown dependent on foreign coin. The goffered (or crénelé) collar was a deliberate anti-clipping measure, pressing a milled edge decoration into the blank before striking, distinct from the later milled edge technology that would eventually replace it.
Production ran across as many as a dozen provincial mints simultaneously, making die variety research for this type genuinely complex. Dy 1131 covers the principal royal issues, but attribution to specific mint towns often depends on mintmark condition.