Liard of Dauphine - Francis I 2nd type

The Dauphiné had maintained its own coinage rights since its annexation by France in 1349 — the condition under which the last independent dauphin, Humbert II, sold his territories was that the province retain distinct monetary privileges. Francis I continued striking regional liards here rather than absorbing Dauphiné output into the unified royal mint system, a concession to provincial identity that persisted well past the point where it made administrative sense.

The Ciani gap is worth noting for collectors building reference libraries — this type fell outside his classification scheme entirely.