How Far Back Can We Go? Sixth Edition! Ended At 1380 Waiting On 1379

France 1791, 2 sols, Paris/Couvent des Barnabites (A with dot).



1791 is a transitional year for French coins. The old pre-revolutionary coins are still striked, but new designs like this one now appear. It is two years after the revolution and Louis XVI still sits, but stripped of the absolute powers he used to have. The coins no longer say that he is "King of France by the Grace of God" - he is now ROI DES FRANÇOIS, "King of the French." Meaning, the French can do away with him, if they want (and it is only one more year before they do). Also, the inscription is in French, not Latin as it used to be. The reverse states LA NATION LA LOI LE ROI - "The Nation, The Law, The King," in that order.

By this time, production of bronze coins from melted church bells was in full swing. This coin was made in a temporary mint set up in the Church of Barnabites, located on the island Île de la Cite in Paris (where also Notre Dame is located). Its bells fell victim to the money making, possibly in this very coin.

France 1791, 1 sol, Paris (A).

Still during the second half of 1791, pre-revolutionary coins like this are minted.

1791 half penny

Here is a Grano from the Italian City State of Naples & Sicily dated 1791:

A 1791 Halfpenny token from Macclesfield in Cheshire.

Charles Roe, depicted on the obverse, founded the successful silk processing industry in Cheshire; after the industry crashed in the 1750s, he got into the copper smelting business, processing ore for mines, including those in Anglesey, home of the Parys Miners Company as seen on one of the Druid Head tokens posted above! Neither Roe (nor his businesses) survived by the time this token was struck.

Thank you, Princetane, and likewise. Your monetary history essays are always interesting reading. An interest for history was what originally brought me into coin collecting. I realized that coins to a large extent reflect historical events, and that there is a history behind every coin. Finding out for a coin what its history is, is one of the driving forces for me. And I just can't resist sharing what I find

France 1790, ecu, Paris (A).

The pre-revolutionary coins continued to be minted until 1792. There is perhaps not so much history associated with this coin - except possibly that the portrait from Louis XVI's year of accession 1774 is by this time a bit historic.

Duchy of Julich-Berg




Another ecu



Mexico City half real

Going the other direction, both size-wise and condition-wise, we have a 1790 Kreuzer from the German State of Lowenstein, or more accurately, the Principality of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort. At 16mm and a scant 0.7 grams, carrying around a pocketful of these wouldn't have been much of a burden at all, provided you didn't lose all of them!

The reverse features one of my favorite designs of any German States coin, second only to the Madonna Thaler -- a very classically inspired depiction of Fortuna, holding a cornucopia and with rudder and ball, that would have not been out of place on a Roman coin minted 1500 years prior.

The mint (Wertheim) is represented by the W on the obverse, which features the crowned arms of Dominik Konstantin (Dominic Constantine), Prince of Rochefort.

An interesting bit of trivia: Princess Maria, his last daughter by his second wife, was the wife of Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels, who led the first wave of German immigrants to Texas in the 1840s, including founding the town of New Braunfels which bears his name today.

I've been to New Braunfels quite often and it is beautiful and historic and a great place to visit (along with Fredericksburg) if you are of German heritage or just interested in the German Texan culture -- but if you just want to cool off at the Schlitterbahn or tube the Comal or the Guadalupe, that's fun, too!