Teston du Dauphiné, 2e type, faux d'époque

The Dauphiné teston was struck under François I as part of his broader effort to unify French coinage after decades of regional monetary fragmentation — the Dauphiné mint had long operated under semi-autonomous arrangements inherited from the annexation of 1457. This piece is a contemporary forgery, struck in silver but outside royal authority, likely produced to exploit the teston's wide acceptance in regional trade along the Rhône corridor. The Ciani gap is telling: forgers of this type were known enough to cataloguers that attribution remains contested.