Some recent purchases

The mintage numbers are out there - you just need different books

 

This is true to a degree but only a degree. The Spanish used the very same system but yet mintages are known for each denomination and year. It just takes a bit of work to determine them. You won't get the mintage down to the exact number - but you'll be very close.

What the British and Spanish did rather than record the mintage numbers for each denomination was to dictate certain percentages be struck. For example, with the Spanish - for every 100 pesos of silver, 85 were 8 reales, 8 were 4 reales, 4 were 2 reales, 2 were 1 reale and 1 were 1/2 reale. In percentages of silver weight that translates into roughly 57% as 8 reales and 11% each for the other denomoinations.

You can be assured the British did something very similar.

But they were not. The debasement of coinage was done away with starting with the reign of Louis XIV. So by the time of the reign of Louis XVI - it simply never happened. The silver fineness was .917.

 

The French did restrike a lot of old issues during this time - they did from about 1700 onwards. But you are correct to a degree. It wa sbecause of the English silver/gold valuations. They were never the same as found on the continent and thus British silver was routinely exported.

If you wish to understand more about this I suggest you obtain a rather inexpensive but very lengthy and detailed book Coins of the World by R.A.G. Carson.

The easiest place to find the ratios is typically found in the laws passed regarding coinage. It may be a Royal Edict, in the case of the Spaniards it was. Were I you - I would research there and forget the mint.

But if you know a total weight of silver struck in any given year - simply use the same percentages I have provided and you will be very close.

 

Of course, only makes sense. Even so you'll know more by doing so than most collectors of British coinage

 

You've already identified it yourself. It's a 1656 liard (that's the denomination) struck at the Vimy mint (mint mark is D) during the reign of Louis XIIII.