Charles VIII's fiscal administration leaned heavily on billon coinage to stretch limited silver reserves, particularly during the Italian campaigns that consumed the kingdom's resources from 1494 onward. This blanc falls squarely within the period when the French crown was simultaneously financing military adventurism in Naples and managing domestic monetary obligations — a combination that pushed billon silver content to its practical floor.
Duplessy 589 encompasses output from multiple mints, and attribution to a specific workshop depends entirely on the mint mark present on the piece.
Charles VIII's fiscal administration leaned heavily on billon coinage to stretch limited silver reserves, particularly during the Italian campaigns that consumed the kingdom's resources from 1494 onward. This blanc falls squarely within the period when the French crown was simultaneously financing military adventurism in Naples and managing domestic monetary obligations — a combination that pushed billon silver content to its practical floor.
Duplessy 589 encompasses output from multiple mints, and attribution to a specific workshop depends entirely on the mint mark present on the piece.