1/2 Teston of Dauphine - Francis I 1st type

Francis I inherited the Dauphiné not through conquest but through the French crown's absorption of the province in 1349, when Humbert II sold his territories to the future Charles V rather than face bankruptcy. The Dauphiné retained distinct minting privileges for generations afterward, and this half teston reflects that administrative separateness — struck in the name of Francis as Dauphin-turned-King under regional monetary authority rather than the central royal mint network.

The teston itself was a relatively new denomination in France at this date, introduced in the late fifteenth century as French mints attempted to produce a large silver coin competitive with Italian grosso-type issues flooding across the Alps.