France 1600-A double tournois
The specimen shown is a double tournois of Henry IV of France (r. 1589-1610) struck by the hammer at the Paris mint (mintmark "A") in 1598-1610. The Paris mint was the only mint to strike the double tournois in 1600. Similar coinage are listed in the SCWC for Paris for 1603-10 and are not rare in low grade. These coins were produced by private contractors in large quantities at a profusion of mints and in many varieties until the 1640's. The issues of Henry IV were reasonable compared to those of the regency of Louis XIII, when the queen-mother sold production contracts to many of her supporters. The face value was two deniers.
Recorded mintage: unknown but a scarce date.
Specification: 3.13 g, copper.
Catalog reference: KM 16.1, Dupl-1273, Sb 4184.
- Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
- Sombart, Stéphan, Franciae IV: Catalogue des Monnaies Royales Françaises de François Ier à Henri IV (1540-1610), Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 1997.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
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