Louis XIII, Dix Louis 1640: From the Royal Mint to a pendant and back again
June 12, 2026
This 10 Louis d’or with a laureate head and draped bust from Paris, 1640, under Louis XIII (1610–1643), is far more than just a large gold coin. It is an object with a history. That is precisely what makes this coin so fascinating on Sixbid today: It tells not only of royal representation in 17th-century France, but also of a later private use – and of its transformation back into the coin as we see it today.
Even from a numismatic perspective, the piece belongs in the top tier. The current description on Sixbid lists the legend on the obvers as LVDOVICVS. XIII. D. G. FRANC. ET. NAV. REX. on the obverse, as well as the laureate, draped bust of the king facing right, with the cipher of year 1640 below. The revers bears the legend CHRISTVS. REGNAT. VINCIT. ET. IMPERAT. and features a cross composition of eight Ls, each with a crown on its arms, with an A in a circle at the centre and four lilies radiating outwards from the centre. The edge is today described as tranche lisse, i.e. level and smooth. The coin is referenced in Droulers 13, Duplessy 1293, Fr. 405 and Gadoury 63. The current weight is 66.46 g.
From Coin Weekly