France 1604-A double tournois

from www.CGB.fr

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 1604. 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. This specimen was lot 163 in CGB sale 46 (Paris, December 2010).

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: copper.

Catalog reference: KM 16.1.

Source:

• 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.

Link to:

• 1600-A 2 tournois
• 1603-A denier tournois
• 1604-B demi-franc
• 1604-Z quart d'écu du Dauphiné
• 1607-D double tournois
• Coins and currency dated 1604
• return to French royal coinage (to 1793)