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Denier - Louis I Tours mint, City gate
| Issuer | Carolingian Empire (Louis I the Pious) |
|---|---|
| Year | 814-818 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Denier (1⁄240) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylized city gate rendered in frontal elevation occupies the central field, depicted with two flanking towers, a central arched gateway, and a stepped or crenellated parapet above — a type emblematic of the Tours mint during the reign of Louis the Pious. The architectural motif is boldly executed in the flat, schematic style characteristic of early ninth-century Carolingian die engraving. The mint name TVRONES (Tours) appears in the surrounding legend, introduced by a cross pattée. Additional smaller crosses or pellets appear as decorative elements between the legend letters, framing the design. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (814-818) |
| Additional information |
Louis I inherited Charlemagne's reformed denier coinage in 814 and initially maintained the palace-centered minting system before consolidating production at episcopal and comital centers. Tours was among the most active of these, its mint operating under ecclesiastical authority tied to the abbey of Saint-Martin — one of the wealthiest and most politically connected institutions in the Frankish world. The 814–818 window predates Louis's major monetary ordinances of the 820s, placing this piece in the transitional phase before tighter royal oversight restructured provincial output.