Catalog
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| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1638 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Reverse description | Three fleurs-de-lis arranged in triangular formation within a beaded inner circle, a standard heraldic device symbolising the French royal arms. The legend + DOVBLE.TOVRNOIS.1638 commences at 12 o'clock with a cross pattee as an initial mark and runs clockwise around the outer border. The fleurs-de-lis are boldly struck and occupy the majority of the central field, consistent with the established design of the Double Tournois series under Louis XIII. |
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| Reverse lettering | + DOVBLE.TOVRNOIS.1638 |
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| Additional information |
The 18th type of Louis XIII's double tournois represents one of the final evolutionary stages of a denomination that had been grinding through successive royal edicts since the 1570s — each reform an attempt to control rampant counterfeiting and unauthorized striking by provincial mints. Tours, as a historically important mint in the Loire valley, remained active through these copper issues even as many smaller ateliers were suppressed. By 1638, France was deep into the Thirty Years' War, with Richelieu directing finances toward military expenditure that left copper coinage production administratively secondary.