On the occasion of the purchase of an exceptional Gold Crown of Philip VI, it seemed obvious to us to share with you the history of this coin which is among the rarest and most beautiful French medieval coins.

From a numismatic point of view, the reign of Philip VI was marked by numerous monetary mutations, i.e. by a devaluation of the currency. This procedure was common during periods of crisis and allowed the king's income to be artificially increased and to respond to the increase in exceptional expenses, such as a war for example.

Indeed, the reign of Philip VI was marked by the beginning of the Hundred Years' War, which was part of a crisis of legitimacy of the French royal power.

The Hundred Years' War arose from Edward III of England's claim to the crown of France from Philip VI. The disappearance of the last son of Philip IV the Fair was the official pretext of Edward III, in a context of growing rivalry between France and England.

It was in these conditions that the golden crown of Philip VI was created. It was minted from 1340, three years after the beginning of the war between France and England.

On the obverse we can see the crown, one of the symbols of the French monarchy, surrounded by six fleurs-de-lis. The use of the crown is a strong claim to legitimise the power of King Philip VI of France against Edward III, who also claimed the crown of France. The legend on the obverse can be translated as follows: "Philip VI, by the grace of God, King of France".

On the reverse we have a cross with crowned lilies. The legend reads: "Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands".

If on the one hand the crown represents the temporal power of the king, the reverse with its cross and its legend associating Christ represents the divine part of this royalty. These two aspects remind us of Ernst Kantorowicz's famous theory of the king's two bodies. One mortal body, represented by the crown, the other, by the cross, shows the immortal side of the king. And even if the saying "The king is dead, long live the king" appeared much later in the 16th century, it perfectly represents this ambivalence that we find in our gold crown.

If you wish to appraise your coins and numismatic collections, do not hesitate to contact us directly so that we can meet. While waiting to dream about this magnificent coin, find out what's new in the Godot & Fils numismatic shop by clicking here.