Louis XIII (1610-1643). Gold Half Louis d'or, 1640-A (Paris). Laureate bust right. Rev. Crowned double L's in cross form, fleur-de-lis in angles and mint mark in center (Fr 411; Gadoury 57; KM 101). In NGC holder graded MS 61, lustrous. Value $1,500 - UP
Much more innovative was the introduction of the louis d'or ("gold Louis") denomination and its half by Louis XIII on March 31, 1640. The louis d'or sought to emulate the popular Spanish gold two-escudo piece, known in France as the pistole, in its weight and fineness (22 carats, 6.75 g) and featured a portrait of Louis XIII on the obverse and a cross formed from a double L monogram of the king's initial. The use of a royal portrait was new for French coinage-previous monarchs had tended to use their crowned initial instead-and served to explicitly advertise the person of the king as the source of the coinage. The introduction of the portrait and the absolutism of Louis XIII go together hand and hand. It is also notable that whereas the earlier coinage of Louis XIII was hammered, the new louis d'or and its half were milled and struck using a screw press. In every way they express the entry of France into a new age.