1/4 Écu - Henri IV Navarre

Henri IV's quarter écu series spans one of the most turbulent monetary periods in French history. When Henri acceded to the throne in 1589, the royal mint system was fractured — several cities controlled by the Catholic League continued striking coin in the name of Henri III or Charles X, the League's phantom king, in direct competition with legitimate Valois-then-Bourbon issues. Henri's own quarter écus were produced at mints across a gradually reunifying kingdom, and the mint mark is consequently one of the most diagnostically important details on any piece from this reign.

The 1590s strikes from Paris are particularly scarce, as the city held out against Henri until 1594.