1717-Q Twelve Deniers

Coin Details

Description

The 1717 Twelve Deniers is a French colonial billon coin worth one sou (12 deniers), struck at the Perpignan mint (mint mark Q) under the authority of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (regent for Louis XV), the Sun King (r. 1643-1715). This denomination provided a clean one-sou value in the French colonial monetary system, where the livre was divided into 20 sous and each sou into 12 deniers. The Twelve Deniers was struck in billon, the standard low-silver alloy used for French colonial minor coinage. Its design features royal monogram and heraldic elements consistent with other Louis XIV colonial issues, establishing the coin's official character and authority. The denomination represented a practical middle-ground value in colonial commerce, sufficient for small purchases while not so valuable as to encourage hoarding. Produced in 1717, this coin dates to the very beginning of the Regency period following Louis XIV's death in 1715, though the design and authorization carried over from the preceding reign. The French colonial monetary system during this transitional era was under increasing strain, as the costs of Louis XIV's wars had depleted the royal treasury and disrupted the regular supply of coins to the colonies. The Twelve Deniers, equivalent to one sou, bridged the gap between the smaller Six Deniers and the larger denominations like the Thirty Deniers. In the colonial marketplaces of New France, this coin would have been used for everyday purchases such as bread, candles, or small quantities of imported goods. French colonial coins of this denomination and period are uncommon survivors that document the monetary infrastructure of France's American empire during its final century of existence.