Rider 'Franc a Cheval' - Arnold of Oreye

Arnold of Oreye acquired the lordship of Rummen through inheritance in the mid-fourteenth century, one of the smaller semi-independent fiefdoms clustered in the contested territory between the bishopric of Liège and the duchy of Brabant. His gold franc à cheval is a direct imitation of the French royal franc à cheval first struck by Jean II in 1360 — itself issued to fund Jean's ransom after his capture at Poitiers. The prestige of that French prototype spread rapidly, and minor lords across the Low Countries adopted the type to assert parity with larger powers and facilitate cross-border trade in a region saturated with competing coinages.

Rummen's output was small. These survive in genuinely limited numbers.