10 000 Euros The Louis d'Or

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.