LIARD: COIN OF FRANCE
Liard, 1655: Kingdom of France
Ruler: Louis XIV (Louis the Great or the Sun King) was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign (more than 72 years) is the longest reign of any monarch of a sovereign country in history.
LIARD DE FRANCE - D: Liard of France.
Sign "D" as the symbols of the Lyon mint.
Three golden heraldic lilies (French "Fleur de lys") from the coat of arms of French kings (royal symbol of France).
L - XIIII - ROY - DE - FR - ET - DE - NA - 1655: French "Louis XIV Roy de France Et de Navarre" (Louis XIV King of France and Navarre).
Crowned portrait of Louis XIV.
Engraver: Jean Warin (French sculptor and engraver who made important innovations in the process of minting coins; head of the French mint).
Mintage: 19.458.142.
- Copper: 23 mm - 4.1 g
- Reference price: 11.3$
COIN LIARD — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- KINGDOM OF FRANCE + FRENCH REGIONAL ISSUES (15th-18th centuries): liard = 3 denier = 1/4 sol (sou) = 1/80 livre
- LUXEMBOURG, FRENCH INVASIONS (18th century): liard
- SPANISH and AUSTRIAN NETHERLANDS (BELGIUM, 18th century): liard = 1/216 kronenthaler
- ITALIAN STATES (County of Desana, County of Cocconato, Lordship of Frinco...), 16th century: liard
As for the origin of the name of the liard coin, the facts are practically absent — there are only more or less common assumptions. Thus, there is a version about of the semi-mythical medieval coinage master Guigues Liard from Crémieu-en-Viennois (province of Dauphiné), which was related to the appearance in the 14th century the first coins of this type.
There is also such a version: the liard coin is named after its predecessor — hardi (Gascon sounds like «li ardito»), — a silver coin issued by English kings for possessions in Aquitaine (modern France).
Various numismatic resources call by the liard another similar coins: actually, liard, liardo of Monaco, the oord of the old Netherlands and Belgium, the vierer of the Swiss canton of Basel. In my opinion, a liard should be considered a purely French coin.
