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Groschen with crowned Leopard - Edward III
| Issuer | Duchy of Aquitaine (French States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1327-1377 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Central field divided into four quarters by a plain cross, each quarter bearing the arms of England (three leopards passant) and France (fleurs-de-lis) alternately, reflecting Edward III's dual dynastic claims. A small crown appears at the intersection of the cross. The shield arrangement is rendered in a bold, flat hammered style typical of Anglo-Gascon coinage. A beaded inner circle frames the quartered arms, with the circular legend running between the inner and outer borders of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A crowned leopard passant guardant occupies the central field, depicted in profile facing right with a prominent crown above its head, rendered in the angular, stylised manner characteristic of Aquitaine groschen coinage of the fourteenth century. The leopard stands on a ground line within a plain inner circle. Trefoil or fleur-de-lis stops punctuate the surrounding circular legend. The flan is irregular and slightly scalloped at the edges, consistent with hand-hammered production. |
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| Additional information |
Edward III held Aquitaine not as king but as duke — a vassal of the French crown — a legal fiction that grew increasingly untenable as his claim to the French throne itself hardened into the opening decades of the Hundred Years' War. Coinage struck in his name for the duchy operated under a separate monetary authority from his English issues, and the groschen denomination reflects the strong influence of continental minting practice on Gascon currency rather than any alignment with the English sterling system.
The fifty-year span of this type's production means examples can vary considerably in execution across different phases of the war and shifting control of Bordeaux.