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Obol - Louis IV
| Issuer | Kingdom of West Francia |
|---|---|
| Year | 936-954 |
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| Currency | Pound (840-987) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field features a plain cross pattée enclosed within a beaded inner circle. The surrounding legend reads LVDOVICVSII, identifying the issuing monarch Louis IV, distributed around the periphery between the inner beaded circle and the outer border. The coin is struck in the Carolingian tradition with characteristic irregular flan and crude hammered workmanship typical of 10th-century West Frankish issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LVDOVICVSII (Translation: Louis.) |
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| Additional information |
Louis IV, known as "d'Outremer" — from beyond the sea — was recalled from exile in England in 936 to take the Carolingian throne after the death of Rudolf of Burgundy. His reign was defined almost entirely by conflict with Hugh the Great, the most powerful magnate in West Francia, who controlled the coinage infrastructure of the realm far more effectively than the king himself did. That the royal mint continued striking in Louis's name at all during the worst years of this struggle is itself notable.
Billon output from this reign survives in small numbers, the weight standard having declined sharply from earlier Carolingian norms.