1/2 Gold Ecu - Charles IX and successors XPS

The demi-écu d'or au soleil was a denomination rooted in the monetary reforms of Francis I, but it was Charles IX's 1561 ordonnance that restructured the gold coinage and fixed the standard this piece represents. Charles IX came to the throne at age ten, with Catherine de Medici ruling as regent through some of the most violent decades in French history — the Wars of Religion were tearing the kingdom apart precisely when these coins were being struck. The mint network producing this type included facilities at Paris, Lyon, Rouen, and others, each identifiable by mintmark.

The "XPS" designation signals production spanning into the reigns of Henry III, making attribution to a specific reign dependent on that mintmark and privy mark combination.