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60 Sols - Louis XIII Pattern
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1641 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Jean Warin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A seated female allegory of Justice facing left, holding a cornucopia in her left arm and a pair of scales in her outstretched right hand, symbolising prosperity and equity. The figure is rendered in classical style with elaborate drapery. The two-line legend is divided across the field and exergue, reading ARTE MEA BIS IVSTVS MONETA LVD IVST with the date 1641 in the lower portion. A milled border frames the reverse. |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a short-lived monetary reform effort by Louis XIII's finance ministers, who were grappling with chronic shortages of large silver and the practical failures of earlier milled coinage attempts at the Paris mint. The 60 sols denomination was ambitious — essentially a proto-écu designed to rationalize the livre tournois system — but the pattern never advanced to full production.
Cardinal Richelieu's wars were draining the treasury at precisely this moment, which may explain why the reform stalled. By 1641, France had neither the political stability nor the minting infrastructure to push a new large silver denomination into general circulation.