1/2 Gold Ecu with sun - Francis I 5th type

Francis I overhauled French royal coinage in 1519 partly to fund his ambitions following the Field of the Cloth of Gold negotiations and his rivalry with Charles V — a contest that would drain the French treasury for decades. The "with sun" designation distinguishes this emission from earlier Francis I écus by the mint mark placement and the solar privy mark, a distinction that matters considerably for attribution given how many subtypes this reign produced.

The .958 fineness held over from late Valois practice, not yet debased to the levels Francis would authorize under later financial pressure.