¼ Ecu - Louis XV

Features

Issuer	France
King	Louis XV (1715-1774)
Type	Standard circulation coins
Year	1720
Value	¼ Silver Ecu
Currency	Livre tournois (1204-1795)
Composition	Silver
Weight	3.739 g
Diameter	22 mm
Shape	Round
Technique	Milled
Orientation	Coin alignment ↑↓
Demonetized	Yes
Number	N# 27846
References	Dy royales# 1663 Jean Duplessy; 1999. Les monnaies françaises royales. Maison Platt, Paris, France (2 volumes). , Gad R2# 296 Francesco Pastrone, Christian Charlet; 2018. Monnaies royales françaises de Louis XIII à Louis XVI / Volume 2: 1610-1792 (5^th Edition). Éditions Victor Gadoury, Monaco, Monaco. , Ciani Royales# 2137 Louis Ciani, Jules Florange (ed.); 1926. Les Monnaies royales françaises de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI. Jules Florange, Bergerac, France. , Clairand# 34113 Arnaud Clairand; 2023. Monnaies Royales Françaises et de la Révolution: 1610-1794 = French Royal and Revolutionary Coins. Les Chevau-Légers, Paris, France.

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Obverse

Bust of the king at right, draped and cuirassed, head bare; caption beginning at 19:00. Automatically translated

Script: Latin

Lettering: LUD•XV•D•G•FR•ET•NAV•REX•

Unabridged legend: Ludovicus XV Dei Gratia Franciae et Navarrae Rex

Engraver: Norbert Roettiers

Reverse

Two Ls leaning under a crown, below A. Automatically translated

Script: Latin

Lettering: SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM 1720

Unabridged legend: Sit Nomen Domini Benedictum

Engraver: Norbert Roettiers

Edge

Corded. Automatically translated

Mint

A	Monnaie de Paris, Paris (and Pessac starting 1973), France (864-date)

Mark

Mathieu Renard de Tasta, Mint Master, Monnaie de Paris (1719-1738)

Comments

The name "livre de la Compagnie des Indes" may be misleading: it was not in fact manufactured by the Company, but on its behalf, in return for an advance of £50 million to the Treasury, and was in no way intended for the colonies. The aim of LAW's system was to dethrone metallic coinage in favor of paper money. Only the Paris workshop, for technical reasons due to the refining of silver, was able to mint the new currency, but it was not as successful as had been hoped.Speculation in "Compagnie des Indes" securities and the bankruptcy of LAW and his system put an end to the "Compagnie des Indes" livre d'Argent, which was replaced by the "petit Louis" d'Argent in March 1720. Automatically translated

This is an automatic translation. The original text is:

L'appellation "livre de la Compagnie des Indes"peut induire en erreur : elle ne fut pas en effet fabriquée par elle mais pour son compte moyennant une avance de 50 millions de livres au Trésor et n'était nullement destinée aux colonies. Il s'agissait, dans le système de LAW, de détrôner la monnaie métallique au profit de la monnaie-papier. Seul l'atelier de Paris, pour des raisons techniques dues à l'affinage de l'argent, put frapper la nouvelle monnaie mais qui n'eut pas le succès escompté.La spéculation sur les titres de "la Compagnie des Indes" et la faillite de LAW et de son système mirent fin à la livre d'Argent dite de "la Compagnie des Indes" qui fut remplacée par le "petit Louis" d'Argent dès mars 1720.

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Date			Mintage		VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
Undetermined
1720 A			6 918 853

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