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1/2 Gold Ecu - Francis I
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1541 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FRANCISCVS DEI GRA FRANCORVM REX A (Translation: Francis, by God`s grace, king of the Franks.) |
| Reverse description | A bold plain cross pattée occupies the center of the field, set within a quadrilobe formed by four rounded lobes, each lobe decorated with delicate fleur-de-lis motifs at its cusps and scrolling trefoil ornaments at the junctions, creating a richly Gothic polylobe frame. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded inner border. A continuous Latin legend in Gothic lettering encircles the design along the periphery, invoking the triumph of Christ. |
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| Additional information |
Francis I restructured French gold coinage in 1519, reducing the écu au soleil to a lighter standard that persisted through his reign — this half-écu falls within that reformed framework. The 1541 dating places it firmly in the period following the fourth Italian War, when Francis was financing simultaneous conflicts against Charles V and maintaining an extraordinarily expensive royal court, pressures that kept the royal mints working steadily.
The .958 fineness was among the highest maintained by any contemporary European monarchy. Ciani 1093 is the standard reference for collector attribution, though Duplessy's classification at Dy royales 890 remains the authoritative citation for die study.