1/2 Gold Louis with shield - Louis XIV

The demi-louis d'or au écu was introduced as part of Louis XIV's sweeping monetary reform of 1690, which reorganized the entire French coinage system and recalled older issues — a fiscally convenient exercise that allowed the Crown to profit from reminting fees during a period of sustained war expenditure. France was deep into the Nine Years' War at this point, and the reformatted gold coinage helped stabilize exchange rates strained by military financing.

The Paris mint's output for this type across the 1690–1693 window was substantial but uneven year to year, with 1693 issues generally scarcer by surviving population.