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Blanc 'Guénar' - Charles VI
| Issuer | Royal Mint of France (Monnaie Royale de France) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1385-1417 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | + KAROLVS : FRANCORV : REX (Translation: Charles, King of the Franks.) |
| Reverse description | A floriated cross with fleurs-de-lis at the terminals occupies the central field, its four quarters alternately charged with crowns (1st and 4th quarters) and fleurs-de-lis (2nd and 3rd quarters), though on certain varieties these charges are transposed. The cross is contained within an inner circle, with all design elements executed in the struck billon medium characteristic of hammered medieval French coinage. Punctuation within the surrounding circular Latin legend varies by mint and emission, comprising filled points, hollow points, concentric circles, or two superimposed dotted ringlets. A secret mint mark in the form of a small point beneath a specific letter of the legend serves to identify the issuing mint and emission. |
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| Additional information |
The Blanc Guénar takes its name from the colloquial French term for a dog — a reference to the heraldic creature on the reverse that contemporaries apparently found more memorable than the coin's official denomination. Charles VI authorized this issue in 1385, but the type ran through one of the most catastrophic reigns in French history: the king suffered his first psychotic episode in 1392, believing himself made of glass, and was intermittently incapacitated for the remaining three decades of his rule. Monetary policy during these years lurched between debasement and revaluation as competing factions — Burgundians and Armagnacs — effectively controlled the mint at different intervals.
The billon content varies meaningfully across the issue's long run, reflecting successive royal ordinances adjusting the fineness downward under fiscal pressure from the Hundred Years' War.