Double tournois à la Croisette - 2e type - HENRI II

Henri II inherited the tournois series from his father François I but oversaw its steady debasement as the Italian Wars drained royal finances through the late 1540s and into the 1550s. The "à la Croisette" designation distinguishes this second type by its cross arrangement, differentiating it from the first-type dies introduced earlier in the reign. The variant status under Ciani reflects genuine die inconsistencies across the mints authorized to strike this denomination — at least a dozen ateliers were active under Henri II, and output coordination was imperfect.