250 Euros Louis d'or

The Louis d'or was first struck in 1640 under Louis XIII, introduced by finance minister Cardinal Richelieu to replace the écu d'or and establish a more standardized gold coinage for France. The original coin took its name directly from the king — every subsequent Louis through Louis XVI would see their profile on successive iterations, making it one of the longest-running named coin types in French monetary history. Its issuance was suspended during the Revolution, the name itself politically toxic by 1793.

This Monnaie de Paris restrike pays into that lineage. The 2.5 g format places it among the smaller bullion-adjacent commemoratives in the modern French gold program.