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1/4 Ecu with 8 Ls - Louis XIV 2nd type

Issuer Monnaies et médailles (French Royal Mint)
Year 1704-1709
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Shape Round
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Reverse description Central cross formed of eight interlocking L-monograms, each arm surmounted by a crown, enclosing within its heart three fleurs-de-lis arranged 2-and-1 within a circle. The cross is cantoned by four additional fleurs-de-lis radiating outward from the center between the arms. The date appears within the encircling legend, while the mint mark of the issuing workshop is placed in the exergue beneath the cross. The overall design is a refined emblem of French royal heraldry under the Sun King.
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Reverse lettering SIT•NOMEN•DOMINI•BENEDICTVM•1704
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Additional information

This type was struck under the monetary reform of 1704, when Louis XIV — facing chronic war finance pressures from the War of the Spanish Succession — overhauled the coinage system and introduced the eight-L mark configuration to distinguish reformed issues from the debased emissions of preceding years. The reform was partly fiscal sleight of hand: the crown profited from the recoinage by calling in older pieces at below-face value.

Multiple provincial mints struck this type simultaneously, so die quality and strike consistency vary considerably by mint letter — a detail worth checking against Gadoury's mint attribution tables before cataloging.

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