Denier - Ferdinand I Curved Shield - counterfeit

Contemporary counterfeits of Ferdinand I deniers — struck in base metal with a silver wash rather than solid silver — circulated widely across the Low Countries and northern France during the sixteenth century, where fragmented monetary authority made detection difficult and enforcement inconsistent. The genuine issue was itself a small, lightweight coin easily imitated by clandestine workshops operating just outside jurisdictional reach.

At 0.58g, this piece falls well below the intended standard, which would have been the first thing a suspicious merchant tested with a balance scale.