¼ Écu - Louis XIII - Béarn

[cam]

Dear gentlemen,

I think this coin is:

1/4 Écu 1624 - Louis XIII - Kingdom of France - France, Navarra, Béarn
Mintmark: ★ + some letter
Mint: Morlaas
Weight: 9,45 g
Diameter: 30.9 mm
Catalogue ref: KM# 49.2 (not sure, since in KM it has a weight 6.44 g), Duplessy# 1338

Correct me, please, if I am worng.

Thanks in advance!

[Figleaf]

Correct, except for some insignificant details. There is no letter between the star and the crown, just two dots on either side of the crown. Mint is Morlaas or Pau. Both mints struck coins this type without a mint mark. The only "difference" is that Morlaas struck with a hammer and Pau with a screw press. I can't tell the difference on this coin.

The legends are:
•LVDOVICVS•XIII•Dei•Gratia•FRANCorvm•ET•NAvarvm•REX•[DB MONOGRAM]. Louis XIII by the grace of god king of France and Navarre. The monogram stands for Duc de Béarn or Ducatus Béarnensis.
•GRATIA•DEI•SVMvs•ID•Qvod•SVMvs•1624. By the grace of god we are what we are.

The arms are France (left) Navarre (upper right) Béarn (lower right). The II on both sides of the shield together are the denominations, four (of these coins) are an écu.

Irrelevant but fun detail: this coin was struck in the era of the three musketeers. Though the story is fiction, D'Artagnan did exist

Peter

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Thanks a lot, Peter!

> Irrelevant but fun detail: this coin was struck in the era of the thre musketeers.
That was the main reason why I've bought this particular coin in memory of my visit to Bordeaux.

By the way, why Krauze catalogue has so different weight?

[Figleaf]

Checking the weight, I found that your coin is Morlaas after all, because Pau didn't strike any in 1624.

Official weight of the quart d'écu is 9.712 grams. In view of the damage, your coin is of correct weight.

Peter

[cam]

Thanks a lot! I like this coin a lot - very stylish and with history behind

[Figleaf]

I see another aspect. The heraldry stresses a feudal inheritance policy that puts land before (common) people. The D.G. behind the king's name reinforces that: resistance against the king is heresy. That in turn overlaps with the decorated cross - i.a. with fleur-de-lis - and the religious slogan. It's us (king and church) against them (the third estate).

Us is winning. There are still protestant rebellions, but they are suppressed one by one and their coins are deemed "illegal". Resistance is useless. The people will be assimilated. However, there are many more of them than of us. By the success of Louis XIII and Louis XIV and their cardinals Mazarin and Richelieu, to stifle descent and social mobility, the kings of France were setting the scene for the French revolution and the execution of their (grand)son for high treason. That, in turn, paved the way for communism. There is a lesson there...

Peter

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Good thing about old and historically deep coins - there is always a space to think about.

Even three coat of arms brings us an idea about how the Kingdom of France "worked" in reality.