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Douzain with salamander - Francis I 3rd type
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1540-1547 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central design consisting of a plain Latin cross with splayed terminals set within a quatrefoil frame, with the royal initial F appearing in the upper-right and lower-left quarters, and a salamander in flames occupying each of the remaining two quarters. The mint mark P is placed at the base of the cross. A beaded inner circle separates the central motif from the peripheral Latin legend, which is rendered in Gothic script and runs continuously around the coin. |
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| Additional information |
The douzain was France's workhorse coin through the sixteenth century, and Francis I reformed its production repeatedly — this third type reflects the monetary ordinance of 1540, which tightened silver fineness standards amid chronic debasement pressure from wartime spending. The Italian Wars had been bleeding the treasury for decades by this point.
The salamander badge was Francis's personal device, adopted partly as a dynastic statement against the Habsburgs. Its appearance on circulating billon rather than prestige coinage was deliberate — a political mark pressed into everyday commerce.