Louis D'or - Louis XV

Louis XV

Under Louis XV, mintage of the Louis d’or was at first reduced while Lohn Law introduced paper money. After Law’s system failed and Cardinal Fleury became Louis XV’s chief magistrate in 1726, France returned to a policy of sound money and the mintage of the Louis d’or returned to normal levels. The weight of the Loius d’or was now increased, it was revalued at 20 livres, and a commitment was made to maintain this valuation. This promise was kept until 1740 when the louis d’or was revalued to 24 livres, thereby effecting a 20% devaluation of the livre. This was the last devaluation until the French revolution replaced the louis d’or by the franc.

• Recto: A succession of royal portraits show the king aging from a boy of 5 to a man of 64. Notable changes were made to the portrait when the weight of the Louis d’or was stabilized in 1726 and when it was revalued in 1740.
• Verso: The early coinage of Louis XV has a variety of rapidly changing reverse types. When the value of the Louis d’or was stabilized in 1726, a reverse type with the coats of arms of France and Navarre in two ovals was adopted. This reverse earned the coin the nickname “Louis aux lunettes,” i.e. Louis with glasses.
• Engraver: Norbert Roettiers (1703-1448)