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Gold Ecu with sun - Charles VIII 2nd issue of Perpignan
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1483-1493 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Reverse description | Central motif is a floriated cross pattée with each arm terminating in a fleur-de-lis, the cross decorated with fine linear detailing along its shaft and crossbar, set within a beaded inner circle. A prominent fleur-de-lis rises from the centre at the top of the cross. The four quarters formed by the cross arms are plain, creating a balanced and elegant composition typical of French royal gold coinage of the period. The peripheral legend in Gothic uncial script runs continuously around the outer border, concluding with the mint letter P for Perpignan. |
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| Additional information |
Perpignan sat inside the Crown of Aragon's territories until Louis XI effectively purchased Roussillon and Cerdagne from a financially desperate Juan II of Aragon in 1463 — a transaction never fully accepted by the local population or by Spain. Charles VIII inherited this contested enclave and, under pressure to fund his Italian ambitions, ultimately ceded both counties back to Ferdinand of Aragon by the Treaty of Barcelona in 1493, trading territorial legitimacy for a free hand to march on Naples. This coin was struck entirely within that window of uneasy French administration.
The Perpignan mint's output under Charles remains thin in surviving examples, and the LP reference gap noted in the catalog is telling.