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Blanc Guénar - John IV
| Issuer | Duchy of Brittany |
|---|---|
| Year | 1385-1399 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears the ducal shield of Brittany, charged with three ermine spots arranged in heraldic fashion, set within a raised inner circle. The shield is depicted in the Gothic style typical of late 14th-century Breton coinage. A circular Latin legend surrounds the inner beaded border, reading IOHANNES BRITON DVX, identifying the issuer as John, Duke of the Britons. The coin's irregular flan exhibits characteristic hammer-struck unevenness at the periphery. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
John IV's Blanc Guénar was struck during one of the most turbulent stretches of Breton ducal history. John had spent years in English exile after the War of Succession, returning to Brittany in 1379 only to navigate the competing demands of the French crown and his old English allies — a balancing act that defined both his foreign policy and, less obviously, his monetary program. The guénar name itself derives from the Latin denarius through a Breton phonetic corruption, a small linguistic trace of how thoroughly the duchy's minting tradition had developed independently of Paris.