Teston - Henry II 1st type

The teston was France's first large silver coin struck to a consistent royal standard, introduced under Louis XII and carried through successive reigns as the primary high-value silver denomination. Henry II's first-type teston falls within the period of his aggressive Italian campaigns and the sustained fiscal pressure of the Habsburg-Valois wars — a conflict that drained silver reserves and pushed minting output across multiple provincial workshops simultaneously. The Dy 983 classification encompasses production from several mints operating under delegated royal authority.

Strike quality varies considerably by mint, with provincial issues from Tours and Bordeaux frequently showing softer detail than Paris output.