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66 Livres
| Issuer | Martinique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1798 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The 66 livres coinage of Martinique emerged from a chronic shortage of specie that plagued the French Caribbean colonies throughout the revolutionary period. Rather than mint new coin, colonial authorities authorized the cutting and restamping of Spanish colonial gold — principally the full escudo pieces circulating in the region — with local countermarks to assign them a fixed livres value for internal use. The practice was improvised monetary policy under wartime conditions, with British naval blockades making regular supply from metropolitan France effectively impossible.
KM#27.1 specifically identifies the countermarked type on cut Spanish gold, distinguishing it from later restruck issues.