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Petit Karolus
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1488 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Livre tournois (987-1795) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a large Gothic oncial letter K surmounted by a royal crown, flanked on either side by a fleur-de-lis. The design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with the circular legend running between the inner and outer borders. The K initial stands as a royal cypher for Charles VIII, rendered in a bold medieval calligraphic style characteristic of late 15th-century French hammered coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Struck under Charles VIII, the Petit Karolus was introduced as part of the monetary reforms following the 1488 ordinance that attempted to rationalize France's notoriously fragmented coinage system — dozens of seigneurial and royal mints were still producing incompatible denominations. Billon issues of this type circulated alongside much heavier silver and gold pieces, filling the critical small-change gap that plagued everyday commerce throughout the late Valois period.
Duplessy 594 encompasses pieces from multiple royal mints, and attribution to a specific workshop depends entirely on the mint mark present.