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1/2 Gold Ecu - Francis I 2nd type, 1st emission
| Issuer | Royal Mint of France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1518-1519 |
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| Currency | Livre tournois (1204-1795) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the royal arms of France — a shield semé of fleurs-de-lis — surmounted by a large fleur-de-lis crown of distinctly Gothic form. The shield is set within a plain inner circle, surrounded by a beaded border. The circumferential legend in Latin Gothic lettering runs clockwise around the periphery, reading the king's royal title. The overall composition is characteristic of early sixteenth-century French hammered gold coinage, with bold, high-relief die-work. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Francis I introduced this emission shortly after his stunning victory at Marignano in September 1515, which secured French control of Milan and flooded the royal treasury with Italian tribute and ransoms. The monetary reforms that followed — including this revaluation of the écu series — were partly financed by that windfall. The distinction between the first and second type turns on subtle changes to the crown above the shield, reflecting ongoing adjustments to the coinage ordinances of 1516–1519 as Francis consolidated his monetary authority over an expanding domain.