The patac was a minor billon denomination introduced under Louis XI as part of his broader effort to rationalize French coinage after decades of monetary disorder left by the Hundred Years' War. Louis XI was a compulsive tinkerer with monetary policy — he issued and revoked coinage ordinances at a pace that frustrated even his own mint officials. The legend SIT NOMEN DNI BENEDICTUM, drawn from Psalm 113, had appeared on French petty coinage before but was revived here with deliberate piety, consistent with Louis XI's famously superstitious religiosity.
Ciani 784 and Dy 570A cover minor die variations within the type; collectors should note that attribution between sub-varieties frequently hinges on the treatment of the mint mark.
The patac was a minor billon denomination introduced under Louis XI as part of his broader effort to rationalize French coinage after decades of monetary disorder left by the Hundred Years' War. Louis XI was a compulsive tinkerer with monetary policy — he issued and revoked coinage ordinances at a pace that frustrated even his own mint officials. The legend SIT NOMEN DNI BENEDICTUM, drawn from Psalm 113, had appeared on French petty coinage before but was revived here with deliberate piety, consistent with Louis XI's famously superstitious religiosity.
Ciani 784 and Dy 570A cover minor die variations within the type; collectors should note that attribution between sub-varieties frequently hinges on the treatment of the mint mark.