fjt_05505 - METALLIC SERIES OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE HENRI III n.d.

METALLIC SERIES OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE

This series was engraved by Thomas Bernard and is interrupted, for this author, with the token of Louis XIV. The following tokens are engraved by Nicolas Gatteaux for Louis XV, Duvivier for Louis XVI, Puymaurin and Gayrard for Louis XVII, Puymaurin and Depaulis for Louis XVIII. The series is often attributed to Jean Dassier on the faith of Forrer but he corrects his assertion in his volume VIII and confirms the archives of the Monnaie de Paris which specify that the series was commissioned by Monsieur de Launay. There are different issues, in copper or brass, of varying weights but consistent by series, the reverse dies are sometimes varied. The classification of kings is done according to ancient usage, in three successive races. We note the existence of a very rare token explaining the abbreviations that we have only seen in a brass series. The packaging of this series was in a wooden tube. It is of course very difficult to reconstruct it and it should be noted that the different tokens have very different rarities, having probably been bought piecemeal by the public, favoring the good kings. There is at least one series in silver, possibly apocryphal, completed up to Napoleon III with tokens for all successive regimes, including the Revolution and Napoleon I, see MONNAIES 28, n° 1395. This series is documented in a small book by Philippe Marinèche from whoever can acquire it, contact phmarineche@aol. com.