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1/2 Teston - Francis I 12th type
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1515-1540 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The royal arms of France — a shield semé-de-lis — displayed at center and surmounted by a royal crown, flanked on either side by a crowned capital letter F, the royal monogram of Francis I. The shield and flanking devices are contained within a beaded inner circle, with the circular Latin legend running along the outer border. The composition is well-centered and reflects the standard heraldic type used throughout the reign of Francis I on his silver coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The teston itself was a Milanese invention adopted by the French crown following the Italian campaigns of Charles VIII and Louis XII — the coin France borrowed along with the territory. Francis I inherited both the ambition and the denomination, striking testons and half-testons throughout a reign defined by near-constant war with the Habsburgs and the financial strain of maintaining French claims in northern Italy.
The twelfth type designation reflects the numismatic subdivision of a long and prolific series across multiple mints, with subtle differences in punctuation, mintmarks, and legend arrangement distinguishing each. Du Chastel's Dy royales classification remains the standard reference precisely because the variants are too numerous and administratively specific to collapse into broader groupings.