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Chaise d'or - Philippe VI

Issuer Kingdom of France
Year 1346
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Value 1 Gold Ecu
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Reverse description A large ornate quadrilobe occupies the central field, formed by four interlocking lobed arches decorated with fleurs-de-lis and trefoil motifs, creating a rich Gothic decorative composition characteristic of Valois coinage. At the centre of the quadrilobe, four fleurs-de-lis are arranged around a central quatrefoil, with additional fleurs-de-lis in the spandrels of each lobe. In the angles between the lobes appear small crowns. The whole is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with the Christological legend in Latin running along the outer margin.
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Edge Plain
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Additional information

Philippe VI introduced the chaise d'or in 1346, the same year his forces were catastrophically defeated at Crécy by Edward III — a battle that exposed the catastrophic cost of financing a war the Valois crown was losing. French royal gold coinage of this period was subject to near-constant manipulation: Philippe VI altered the currency no fewer than seventeen times between 1337 and 1350, adjusting fineness and weight as royal finances deteriorated. This coin was struck during one of the relatively stable episodes in that cycle.

The .989 fineness is notably high, even by medieval French standards, placing it among the purer gold issues of the reign.

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