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1/2 Sol - Louis XV 2nd portrait
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1767-1773 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Louis XV facing right, with long flowing hair dressed in the manner of the period, tied with a ribbon at the nape. The effigy is rendered in the second portrait style engraved by Joseph-Charles Röettiers. A heart-shaped mint mark appears at the base of the bust. The circular Latin legend reads LUDOV• XV• D• GRATIA•, interrupted by the portrait. The coin border is decorated with a fine inner beading. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The demi-sol coinage of Louis XV's later years was struck under the royal monetary ordinance of 1738, which restructured France's copper currency after decades of inconsistent provincial minting. By the 1760s, production was distributed across multiple provincial mints to meet demand in a kingdom where small copper saw far heavier daily use than silver. The second portrait type reflects a recut effigy ordered as the king aged — a quietly political act in a reign increasingly sensitive to the monarch's public image following the Damiens assassination attempt of 1757.
Gadoury distinguishes this type from the first portrait primarily by the bust truncation style and the specific mint marks in circulation during the 1767–1773 window.