France. Louis XIV & XV – Lot de 6 billon 1712–1762 – Nouvelle-France / French Colonial America (No reserve price)

Rare and very interesting collection of six French royal billon coins from the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, struck between 1712 and 1762 in four major monetary workshops: Lyon, Paris, Troyes and Strasbourg.

This set holds particular interest not only for collectors of French royal coins, but also for collectors of New France, French Colonial America, Colonial Canada and the monetary history of North America.

The small French billon coins of this period played an important role in the monetary circulation of the French territories in America. The XXX deniers of Louis XIV is notably a type historically attested as having circulated in New France. Under Louis XV, the pre-1760 billon doubles sols were also employed in the North American French colonies, facing chronic shortages of small change.

The collection thus allows tracing nearly half a century of evolution of this French divisionary coinage, from the Sun King’s reign to that of Louis XV the Beloved.

Exact composition of the lot

1 — Louis XIV, known as “Le Grand” or “Le Roi-Soleil”
XXX deniers with the two crowned Ls
1712 – Lyon
Workshop: Lyon
Metal: billon
Weight: 2.13 g
Type: two Ls back-to-back and crowned, with fleur-de-lis.
Type references: Duplessy 1584 ; Gadoury 102 ; Ciani 1984 ; Dr. 407.

This XXX deniers type, struck from 1709 to 1713, is particularly interesting for the monetary history of New France: coins of this type did indeed circulate in the French possessions in North America.

2 — Louis XV, known as “Le Bien-Aimé”
Billon double sol
1738 – Paris
Workshop: Paris
Weight: 1.89 g

The Louis XV billon double sol is a type created following the ordinance of 5 November 1738. It was also designated as a sol of 24 deniers.
Type references: Duplessy 1690 ; Gadoury 281 ; Ciani 2138 ; Lafaurie 689 ; Dr. 568.

3 — Louis XV, known as “Le Bien-Aimé”
Billon double sol
1762 – Strasbourg
Workshop: Strasbourg
Weight: 2.20 g
Type references: Duplessy 1690 ; Gadoury 281 ; Ciani 2138 ; Lafaurie 689 ; Dr. 568.

Example representing the continuity of the monetary type after the end of the French regime in Canada. The 1762 date is therefore not presented here as a coin necessarily circulating in New France.

4 — Louis XV, known as “Le Bien-Aimé”
Billon double sol
1739 – Troyes
Workshop: Troyes
Weight: 1.90 g
Type references: Duplessy 1690 ; Gadoury 281 ; Ciani 2138 ; Lafaurie 689 ; Dr. 568.

The 1739 issue from Troyes is particularly interesting: CGB lists this type with a rarity degree of R2 for some issues from the workshop.

5 — Louis XV, known as “Le Bien-Aimé”
Billon double sol
1756 – Strasbourg
Workshop: Strasbourg
Weight: 1.86 g
Type references: Duplessy 1690 ; Gadoury 281 ; Ciani 2138 ; Lafaurie 689 ; Dr. 568.

The 1756 Strasbourg issue is also sought after; CGB lists the type as R1 with a documented print run of only 76,624 specimens for the referenced issue.

6 — Louis XV, known as “Le Bien-Aimé”
Billon double sol
1739 – Lyon
Workshop: Lyon
Weight: 1.80 g
Type references: Duplessy 1690 ; Gadoury 281 ; Ciani 2138 ; Lafaurie 689 ; Dr. 568.

The Lyon workshop produced a significant emission of double sols in 1739; CGB documents, in particular, a print run of 2,770,852 specimens for this year.

Colonial interest / French Colonial America

This collection has genuine transatlantic interest.

Under the Ancien Régime, New France regularly faced a shortage of metallic coinage. Metropolitan French coins were therefore used alongside issues specifically intended for the colonies.

The Royal Canadian Mint explicitly confirms that the Louis XIV 30-deniers type with the two crowned Ls, issued between 1709 and 1713 and represented here by the Lyon 1712 specimen, circulated in New France.

For Louis XV, CGB also indicates that pre-1760 billon double sols were used in the North American French colonies. This reality is confirmed by archaeology: a Louis XV billon double sol dated 1739 was notably discovered in Quebec in an archaeological context dated 1756-1760.

This collection will thus be of particular interest to collectors of:
- French royal coins – Louis XIV – Louis XV – New France – French Colonial America – Colonial Canada – French Canada – North American colonial coinage – billon coins – double sols – French coins circulated in the colonies.

English collector note

French Royal & French Colonial interest – Louis XIV / Louis XV

Collection of six French billon coins dated 1712-1762, including a Louis XIV 30 deniers and five Louis XV double sols from the mints of Lyon, Paris, Troyes and Strasbourg.

These denominations have an important connection with French North America and New France. The Louis XIV 30-deniers type of 1709-1713 is documented as having circulated in New France, and pre-1760 Louis XV billon double sols were also used in the French North American colonies, where shortages of small-denomination coinage were recurrent.

An attractive historical group for collectors of French Colonial America, New France, Colonial Canada and French Royal coinage.

The six coins sold are exactly those shown in the photographs.