Douzain of Dauphine - Francis I 10th type

The douzain — twelve deniers — was the workhorse of French small change throughout the sixteenth century, and Francis I struck them in staggering quantities across multiple mints and successive types. The Dauphiné issues carry the distinctive regional attribution because Francis held the title of Dauphin before his accession in January 1515, and the province retained its own mint jurisdictions and documentary traditions long after absorption into the royal domain.

Ten distinct types across a twenty-five year span reflects continuous monetary adjustment — fineness and weight were repeatedly revised downward as billon coinage was systematically debased to meet fiscal pressure from the Italian Wars.