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1 Écu - Louis XV
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1740-1774 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LUD·XV·D·G·FR·ET NAV·REX· (Translation: Louis the Fifteenth, by God`s grace, King of France of Navarre.) |
| Reverse description | Central design features the royal arms of France: three fleurs-de-lis arranged within a rounded shield, surmounted by the royal crown. The shield is flanked symmetrically by two olive branches, symbolizing peace. The engraver's mark appears in the field before the date, and the mint letter is positioned in the exergue at the bottom of the coin. The reverse legend in Latin encircles the entire composition. |
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| Additional information |
The écu blanc of Louis XV emerged from a monetary system still adjusting to the reforms of 1726, when the French crown finally stabilized its coinage after decades of deliberate debasement and revaluation under Law's disastrous Mississippi scheme. The 1726 tariff fixed silver values with unusual rigidity, and the écu held that peg for nearly fifty years — an exceptional stretch of monetary stability by Ancien Régime standards.
Pieces from the later years of this long run, particularly those struck after 1771, reflect the administrative reorganization that shuttered several provincial mints as Turgot and his predecessors rationalized production. Mint letter is consequently the critical variable when assessing this type.