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5 1/4 Groschen - Charles III
| Issuer | Duchy of Savoy (Savoy (France), French States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1504-1553 |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a visored tournament helmet surmounted by an elaborate winged crest flanked by foliate lambrequins, all placed above a tilted shield bearing the cross of Savoy. The helmet and crest are rendered in the late Gothic heraldic style characteristic of early sixteenth-century Savoyard coinage. The encircling Latin legend reads CAROLVS DVX SABAVDIE II, identifying the issuer as Charles III, Duke of Savoy, separated by a small cross stop. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The 5¼ Groschen denomination is a distinctly Savoyard peculiarity — the fractional value reflects the duchy's chronic need to reconcile its coinage with both French and Italian monetary systems simultaneously, producing arithmetic that satisfied neither neighbor cleanly. Charles III ruled Savoy through one of its most catastrophic periods: the French invasion of 1536 stripped him of virtually all his territories except the Piedmontese remnant, leaving him duke of almost nothing for the final seventeen years of his reign. Coins struck after 1536 were produced under drastically reduced circumstances.
The MIR 368 attribution covers the full span of Charles's reign, meaning dies and output varied considerably across five decades of intermittent minting.