Discover

The 'Louis' is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was replaced by the French franc at the time of the revolution, although a limited number were also minted during the "Bourbon Restoration" under Louis XVIII. The actual value of the coins fluctuated according to monetary and fiscal policy (see livre tournois), but in 1726 the value was stabilized.

Contents

Louis XIII

Louis XIV

Louis XVIII

Royal Canadian Mint issues

References

Louis XIII

The 'Louis d'or' (a gold coin) replaced the franc which had been in circulation since Jean II of France. There also existed a half-Louis coin (the ''demi-louis d'or''), a two-Louis coin (the ''double louis d'or'').
Smaller values were available through a number of silver coins -- the écu (sometimes called the ''louis d'argent''), also available in ½, ¼ and ⅛ écu denominations (60, 30 and 15 sols) -- and copper coins (sols and deniers).
The Louis d'or under Louis XIII had a dimension of +/- 25 mm, and a weight of 6.75 g.
Recto: the king's head turned to the right with the motto "LVD XIII DG - FR ET NAV REX" (LVDOVICVS XIII DEI GRATIA FRANCIAE ET NAVARRAE REX "Louis XIII, by the grace of God king of France and of Navarre "). Verso: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" (CHRISTVS REGNAT VINCIT IMPERAT "Christ reigns, conquers and commands").
Engraver: Jean Warin (1604- 1672)

Louis XIV

The Louis d'or under Louis XIV had a dimension of +/- 25 mm, and a weight of 6.75 g.
Recto: the king's head turned to the right with the motto "LVD XIV DG - FR ET NAV REX" ("Louis XIV, king of France and of Navarre by the grace of God"). Verso: the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" ("Christ reigns, defeats and commands").
Engraver: Jean Warin (1604- 1672)

Louis XVIII

The Louis d'or under Louis XVIII of France was a 20 franc coin. Only a limited number were issued and they are now kept by collectors worldwide for their significant value and rarity.

Royal Canadian Mint issues

In July of 1725, the Chameau left France for Quebec with a precious cargo; including dozens of military and political VIPs and a fortune in gold and silver. ^[1] In 1961, a discovery of cannons scattered on the sea bottom alerted Alex Storm, a diver working part-time on a fishing trawler from Louisbourg. ^[1] Storm carefully mapped the wreckage of the Chameau to locate the treasure compartment. In 1965, after several years of searching, the gold was found and the mystery of the treasure was solved.
The Royal Canadian Mint commemorated this by creating a 1/25th ounce gold coin. The coin was released in October 2006 and was composed of 99.99% pure gold. Its face value was one Canadian dollar and had a limited mintage of 10,000 coins. ^[3] The name of this numismatic coin was the Gold Louis and had a weight of 1.555 grams and a diameter of 14.1 mm. 'Obverse:' Queen Elizabeth II 'Reverse:' the royal monogram (4 double "L"s surmounted by a crown with fleur de lis and the motto "CHRS REGN VINC IMP" ("Christ reigns, defeats and commands"). Engravers: Royal Canadian Mint engravers. ^[3]

References

1. http://destination-ns.com/content/stories/chameau.htm
2. http://destination-ns.com/content/stories/chameau.htm
3. The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition
4. The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 61st Edition