The patac was a petty billon coin minted for circulation in Dauphiné, the southeastern province whose counts had long maintained their own monetary tradition before the territory passed to the French crown in 1349. Francis I continued issuing it not out of administrative convenience but because the local economy genuinely depended on small denomination coinage distinct from the mainstream royal series. The Grenoble mint handled most of the output.
Duplessy 876 encompasses the full reign, meaning attribution to a specific mint or sub-period requires careful examination of the mint mark.
The patac was a petty billon coin minted for circulation in Dauphiné, the southeastern province whose counts had long maintained their own monetary tradition before the territory passed to the French crown in 1349. Francis I continued issuing it not out of administrative convenience but because the local economy genuinely depended on small denomination coinage distinct from the mainstream royal series. The Grenoble mint handled most of the output.
Duplessy 876 encompasses the full reign, meaning attribution to a specific mint or sub-period requires careful examination of the mint mark.