The Louis d'or was first struck in 1640 under Louis XIII, introduced by finance minister Cardinal Richelieu as part of a broader monetary reform aimed at displacing the Spanish pieces of eight that had dominated French trade. This 2024 Monnaie de Paris issue belongs to a long-running bullion and prestige series that periodically revisits the type — 100 grams of .999 gold at face value being, as always, purely nominal.
The original 17th-century production was plagued by chronic shortages of domestic gold supply, forcing repeated adjustments to coin weight across successive reigns.
The Louis d'or was first struck in 1640 under Louis XIII, introduced by finance minister Cardinal Richelieu as part of a broader monetary reform aimed at displacing the Spanish pieces of eight that had dominated French trade. This 2024 Monnaie de Paris issue belongs to a long-running bullion and prestige series that periodically revisits the type — 100 grams of .999 gold at face value being, as always, purely nominal.
The original 17th-century production was plagued by chronic shortages of domestic gold supply, forcing repeated adjustments to coin weight across successive reigns.