France (1498-1515) denier

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Jean Elsen sale 145, lot 1049

This specimen was lot 1049 in Jean Elsen sale 145 (Brussels, September 2020), where it sold for €90 (about US$128 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Royaume, Louis XII (1498-1515), Cu denier tournois, s.d., point 15e, Rouen. D/ Deux lis dans un trilobe. R/ Croix dans un quadrilobe. Très Beau. (kingdom of France, Louis XII (1498-1515), undated copper denier tournois, dot under the 15th letter, Rouen mint. Obverse: two lilies in a trilobe; reverse: cross in quadrilobe. Very Fine.)"

The denier tournois was a direct descendant of the Roman silver denarius, still familiar to Europeans a thousand years after the Romans had vanished. By the reign of Louis XII, the denier had shrunk to a tiny billon coin of less than a gram, necessitating the issue of larger denominations such as the douzain (twelve deniers). In England, pennies were about the same weight as the denier but were still good silver. In later reigns, the denier was abandoned in favor of the double tournois, a pure copper coin.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 0.97 g, 0.079 fine silver, this specimen 0,95 g.

Catalog reference: Dupl-684; Ci. -; Laf. 624.

Source:

  • Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome I, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
  • Roberts, James N., The Silver Coins of Medieval France (476-1610 AD), S. Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1996.
  • [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 145, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2020.

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