Catalog
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| Issuer | Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks |
|---|---|
| Year | 639-641 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Diademed bust of King Clovis II facing right, rendered in the debased late antique style characteristic of Merovingian coinage. The effigy is schematically modeled with pronounced facial features, set within a beaded border. The surrounding legend reads CHLODOVEVS, identifying the Frankish king, introduced by a cross pattée. The die engraving reflects the hand of a skilled moneyer working within the Parisian workshop tradition of the mid-seventh century. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ✠ CHLODOVEVS (Translation: Clovis.) |
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| Additional information |
Eligius of Noyon — goldsmith, royal treasurer under Dagobert I, and later bishop and saint — is one of the few moneyers from any period whose biography survives in detail. He operated the Paris mint during a transitional moment: Dagobert I died in January 639, leaving the throne to the child-king Clovis II under the regency of Queen Nanthild. This piece naming both moneyer and king was struck within that narrow window before Eligius departed royal service for the church, being ordained in 641.
The "var." designation against Belfort 3361 likely reflects a die combination or spelling variant — Merovingian tremisses from Paris show considerable epigraphic inconsistency even within a single moneyer's output.