Louis d'or
The Louis d'or (also Louisd'or or Louisdor ) is a French gold coin .
history
The coin was in the great coin reform under Louis XIII. Introduced 1640–41. The weight varied between 6.7 and 8.1 grams over time. (About double a ducat .) It was minted from 22- carat gold . The Louis d'or was also available as partial or multiple values. The front of the coin shows the head of King Louis XIII. with laurel wreath. This is where the name comes from: Louis d'or means "Ludwig made of gold" and refers to the portrait of the king.
The first edition comprised ½, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 Louis d'or pieces, later only ½, 1 and 2 pieces were issued. Heads changed with the kings: Louis XIV. , Louis XV. and Louis XVI.
The last Louis d'or were minted in the revolutionary years 1792 and 1793. This was followed by the 20 and 40 franc pieces with the head portrait of the then First Consul Napoléon Bonaparte ( Napoléon d'or ) .
“Schildlouis d'or” is a form of Louis d'or that was coined from the currency reform of 1725/26 to 1793, the last year of the revolution.
Successor was the Napoléon d'or .
Imitations
The Louis d'or had such a great influence that it was imitated in many places, for example in Bavaria with the Max d'or and the Karl d'or , also known as " Karolin ", in Saxony with the August d'or and Anton d'or and in Prussia with the Friedrich d'or .
value
As with all historical currencies, it is also difficult to give an equivalent value in modern currencies with the Louis d'or, since the economic situation in general and thus also the wage and price structure have changed fundamentally. At the time of the Confederation of the Rhine , a Louis d'or was valued at 5 Talers or 9 Gulden .
Based on the above information (22 carat gold content with a weight between 6.7 and 8.1 grams), given today's (as of August 2017) gold price, the pure material value is around 210–250 euros.
Colloquial usage
At times, a Louis d'or was equivalent to 20 francs. This is the origin of the common usage in casinos to this day, to designate a token worth twenty currency units (ie 20 euros in today's Germany) as a "Louis".
See also
Web links
- Daniel Schmutz: Louis d'or. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
Individual evidence
- ^ Benedikt Zäch: Napoléon (coin). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .