Louis d'or

The Louis d'or is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was replaced by the French franc at the time of the revolution, although a limited number were also minted during the "Bourbon Restoration" under Louis XVIII. The actual value of the coins fluctuated according to monetary and fiscal policy (see livre tournois), but in 1726 the value was stabilized.

Louis XIII

The Louis d'or (a gold coin) replaced the franc which had been in circulation (in theory) since John II of France. In actual practice the principal gold coin circulating in France in the earlier 17th century had been Spanish: the 6.7-gram double escudo or "doubloon," of which the Louis d'or was an explicit copy. There also existed a half-Louis coin (the demi-louis d'or), a two-Louis coin (the double louis d'or).

Smaller values were available through a number of silver coins – the écu (sometimes called the louis d'argent), also available in ½, ¼ and ⅛ écu denominations (60, 30 and 15 sols) – and copper coins (sols and deniers).

The Louis d'or under Louis XIII had a dimension of +/- 25 mm, and a weight of 6.75 g.

• Recto: the king's head turned to the right with the motto "LVD XIII DG – FR ET NAV REX" (LVDOVICVS XIII DEI GRATIA FRANCIAE ET NAVARRAE REX "Louis XIII, by the grace of God king of France and of Navarre").
• Verso: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis) and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" (CHRISTVS REGNAT VINCIT IMPERAT "Christ reigns, conquers and commands").
• Engraver: Jean Varin (1604–1672)

Louis XIV

The Louis d'or under Louis XIV was similar in most respects to its predecessor and had a dimension of +/- 25 mm, and a weight of 6.75 g.

• Recto: the king's head turned to the right with the motto "LVD XIV DG – FR ET NAV REX" (LVDOVICVS XIV DEI GRATIA FRANCIAE ET NAVARRAE REX "Louis XIV, by the grace of God king of France and of Navarre").
• Verso: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis) and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" ("Christ reigns, defeats and commands").
• Engraver: Jean Varin (1604–1672)

Louis XVI

The Louis d'or under Louis XVI was minted between 1785–1792 and had a dimension of 23 mm, and a weight of 7.6490 g, a fineness of 0.917, and gold content of 7.01 grams or 0.2254 troy oz.^[1]

• Recto: the king's head turned to the left with the motto "LVD XVI DG – FR ET NAV REX" (LVDOVICVS XIV DEI GRATIA FRANCIAE ET NAVARRAE REX "Louis XIV, by the grace of God king of France and of Navarre").
• Verso: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis) and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMPER" ("Christ reigns, defeats and commands").

Louis XVIII

The Louis d'or under Louis XVIII of France was a 20 franc coin. Only a limited number were issued and they are now kept by collectors worldwide for their significant value and rarity.

Royal Canadian Mint issues

In July 1725, the ship Chameau left France for Quebec with a precious cargo; including dozens of military and political VIPs and a fortune in gold and silver.^[2] In 1961, a discovery of cannons scattered on the sea bottom alerted Alex Storm, a diver working part-time on a fishing trawler from Louisbourg.^[2] Storm carefully mapped the wreckage of the Chameau to locate the treasure compartment. In 1965, after several years of searching, the gold was found and the mystery of the treasure was solved.

The Royal Canadian Mint commemorated this by creating a 1/20th ounce gold coin. The coin was released in October 2006 and was composed of 99.99% pure gold. Its face value was one Canadian dollar and had a limited mintage of 10,000 coins.^[3] The name of this numismatic coin was the Gold Louis and had a weight of 1.555 grams and a diameter of 14.1 mm. Obverse: Queen Elizabeth II Reverse: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" ("Christ reigns, defeats and commands"). Engravers: Royal Canadian Mint engravers.^[3]

See also

• Napoleon (coin)

References

1. ^ French gold coins: Louis d'or
2. ^ ^{a b} http://destination-ns.com/content/stories/chameau.htm
3. ^ ^{a b} The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition