Gold Ecu with sun - Francis I 7th type

Francis I inherited a gold coinage already complicated by decades of successive type revisions, and his seventh ecu type represents the final refinement before his administration settled on a more stable standard. The "with sun" designation distinguishes it from earlier ecu types by the placement of a sun symbol above the shield — a detail that also aids attribution when the legends are worn or clipped, which they frequently are on circulated examples.

1519 was the year Charles of Habsburg was elected Holy Roman Emperor, directly threatening French interests and triggering the rivalry that would define Francis's reign. The royal treasury was under considerable strain financing both diplomacy and military preparation.