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Pezzetta ou 3 sols à la croix Louis 1er
| Issuer | Principality of Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1693-1701 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A large ornate cross fleury occupies the central field, its four arms terminating in stylised fleur-de-lis petals, a design characteristic of Monegasque billon coinage of this period. The cross fills the majority of the flan, extending nearly to the inner edge of the legend. The surrounding Latin legend, separated by dot stops, reads CRVX. HOSTIVM. VICTRIX (The Cross, Conqueror of Enemies), with the date 1693 incorporated into the legend at the top of the coin. A small decorative ornament or mint mark is visible in the legend above the cross. |
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| Additional information |
Louis I of Monaco spent much of his reign navigating the precarious relationship between the Grimaldi principality and the French crown, and this billon issue reflects that dependency directly — the coin's design and weight standard were effectively dictated by French monetary ordinances of the period. The "pezzetta" name itself is a corruption of Italian origin, a reminder that Monaco's commercial vocabulary remained Mediterranean even as its political orbit shifted decisively toward Versailles.
The billon alloy used here was typical of low-denomination fiduciary coinage across the Franco-Italian borderlands in the late seventeenth century, deliberately debased to manage bullion outflows during the Wars of the League of Augsburg.