12 Deniers - Louis XV Nouvelle France

The 12 Deniers of 1717 was struck in France for circulation in the colonies — Canada, Louisiana, and the French Caribbean — as part of a broader monetary ordinance issued by the Conseil de Marine following the death of Louis XIV and the reorganization of colonial administration under the Regency. Chronic coin shortages in New France had long forced colonists to rely on card money, a makeshift currency literally cut from playing cards and signed by colonial officials. This bronze issue was meant to displace that system.

It largely failed. Colonists distrusted low-denomination bronze, and card money persisted for decades.