1792 Ecu 6 Livres silver crown (Limones mint) 1793 Ecu 6 Livres silver crown (Paris mint) 1792 Monnerron Brothers revolutionary credit token. Die error. The French Revolution is perhaps one of history's most significant events and left a lasting impact on Europe and the world. Since many of us here would have studied about it before I would not dwell too much into its details but rather the relationships between these coins and the revolution. 1792 is the year when King Louis XVI was captured and incarcerated. He was executed on January 1793 soon followed by his wife Marie Antoinette the same year. These coins were minted coinciding with both events and were the last 2 silver ecu crowns to bear the monarch's profile. although official mintage figures were unclear, given Louis' execution so early during the year, it would be assumed that 1793 bearing his profile would be significantly scarcer. As for the Monnerron token, these were issued during the height of the revolution where economic breakdown forced the government to issue paper notes known as assignats to control the flow of actual currencies in circulation. However they proved vastly unpopular leading private companies such as the Monnerron Brothers , a Parisian bank, to issue copper tokens as guarantees. This token was designed by the leading engraver of the time Dupre and carries a guarantee of 5 sols. Needless to say their popularity meant that many specimens were heavily circulated and thus poorly preserved. Unfortunately hyperinflation also meant that the cost of these tokens outweighed their intrinsic value and therefore with their eventual collapse, so did their issuance ceased.
Another insightful, and informative post. Thank you for the information, and photos! I wonder what the next significant world event will be? I also wonder/hope we can endure it. What do you think?
France Louis d'Or 1786 - Louis XVI (Actually a double Louis d'Or) Gold, 0.451oz, 15.24gm, 0.9167 fine, 28mm Slightly smaller and lighter than a United States $10 Eagle. "Louises" are mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson's famous 1883 novel Treasure Island as being found in a pirate treasure chest.
