Hello, I'm new to this forum so i appologise now if this is posted in the wrong area. I'm looking to identify the attached coin, i've looked on various web sites and can find similar but nothing identical. Any guidance would be greatly apprecaited. I can email hi-res images if this helps. Thank you in advance for looking. Mycos
I would say it's a copy but I will wait on someone that's a bit more knowledgeable on the matter. As for the coin denomination/year/ruler... I would need a better picture Till then... W.
If you private message your email address i can send some further images i took with the macro lense. As a matter of interest what makes you think it's a copy? My main objective is to date it as it could date the building in which it was located. Thanks
I think it's a Douzain(or imitation) of Henry IV 1589-1610, issued for Dauphine. I'll do some more looking later if nobody has a positive ID.
Hi DCH, If you P.M me i'll send you some hi res images hopefully this will assist with a fuller identification. Thank you for you comments. Mike
Yes, it's a Douzain du Dauphine, 1st emission, minted in either Grenoble or Montelimar in 1593. Catalog number is Duplessy 1257.
Hi, KDJMSP Thank you for the identification, could you point me towards where i could find some further information, web links? Thanks
Doubt you'll find anything on the web. Some things require books, even in this day and age. But what further information would you like ?
You might find a bit more info here: http://www.coinarchives.com/w/results.php?search=Douzain+du+Dauphine&s=0&results=100
GDJMSP, Apologies for getting your profile name wrong previously. Now that i know the coin isn't worth a fortune I'll explain the circumstances of how it came to be in my possession. During late 2008 my parents bought a holiday home located in a very small village called Liauson in the Hreault region of France. More recently my father and I started to renovate the cellar / cave into an additional bedroom, during this process i decided it would be worth while re-pointing the ceiling of the cave. It's kind of a very "very" rough vaulted roof approximately 2M high in the centre. Whilst pointing various old pieces of mortar fell out and were replaced with new. However behind a large stone possibly a lintel of some description i found a green disk stuck in the mortar only by the base and not covered, In my opinion placed there intentionally. I'm no expert but i would say that the coin has dated the cellar of the house to 1593 ish in addition to other elements of the village. The additional information I'm looking for would be to understand the relative value the coin held around that date. i.e would it have brought a loaf of bread or a farm . This could provide an insight into how important the village was, or wasn't. Thanks again for all your information. Mike
Mike it was common practice for builders (Specialy here in the UK) to place coins above door or a window lintel and also in foundations as a good luck offering
Ahhhhh - first it must be understood that what a given amount of money could purchase varied greatly from country to country and sometimes even town to town. This was largely because some commodoties were simply more readily available in some places, thus cheaper or more expensive as the case may be. But in simple terms, that coin would have bought you about 6 eggs. How's that ?
Wow... if this coin is any indication, that's a looooooooong standing tradition! It would be interesting to find out where, why and how that practice started.
