Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Double Gold Henri - Henry II and successors 2nd type, 2nd bust
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1552-1559 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.18 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Laureate and armored bust of Henri II facing right, rendered in high relief in the Renaissance style, wearing richly detailed damascened plate armor with intricate ornamentation visible on the pauldron and breastplate. A small crescent device appears at the king's neck. The effigy is boldly modeled with a short beard and strongly defined facial features. The circular Latin legend runs along the periphery, separated from the field by a beaded inner border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | HENRICVS · II · D : G · FRANCOR ° RX (Translation: Henry II, by God's grace, king of the Franks.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Henry II introduced this denomination in 1550 as part of a broader monetary reform intended to rationalize the French gold coinage after decades of competing issues. The "double" denomination — worth two écus d'or — was a deliberate move to produce a heavier, high-prestige coin suitable for large commercial transactions and diplomatic payments, particularly as French foreign policy under Henry was deeply entangled in the Italian Wars and the ongoing conflict with the Habsburgs.
The second bust variant reflects a mid-reign die revision, likely after 1555. Henry II died in July 1559 from a jousting wound sustained during celebrations of the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis, making the later dates in this type's range among the rarest.