Obol - Louis I Tours, City gate

Louis I — "the Pious" — inherited sole rule of the Frankish empire following Charlemagne's death in January 814, and the Tours mint was among the most active in the western empire throughout his reign. The Obol, half the weight of a denier, was minted in comparatively small numbers and saw heavy use in small market transactions, which makes survivors in decent condition genuinely uncommon. Tours itself held particular administrative importance under the Carolingians, sitting at the intersection of major trade routes along the Loire.

The five-year window assigned to this type reflects current scholarly consensus rather than documentary certainty.