Numismatique Grasse coin page, by Maison Or & Bijoux Mougins · reviewed
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Metal | Billon (copper alloyed with a little silver) for deniers, oboles and sols coronats; silver for gros and gillats (898/1000 on one gillat of Robert, 909/1000 on one sol coronat of Louis II); gold for Joanna’s florins (948/1000) |
| Weight | From 0.7 g (half gros of René) to nearly 4 g (gros tournois of Charles I, gillat of Robert), based on specimens weighed by CGB and iNumis |
| Diameter | 18 to 27 mm depending on type |
| Years struck | About 1177 to 1481, undated |
| Mints | Arles, Marseille, Saint-Rémy, Tarascon, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, depending on the period |
| References | Rolland 1956 (R.), Poey d’Avant (PA), Boudeau (Bd), Duplessy (Dy) |
Before 1481, Provence struck coins in the name of its counts, first from the House of Barcelona, then from the House of Anjou. These pieces have neither a date nor a true likeness: they are classified by the prince’s Latin first name, the title on the reverse and a few symbols. Here is how to place yours within three centuries of Provençal history.
The design changes from reign to reign: an archbishop’s mitre on the deniers shared with the Church of Arles, a crowned head in profile on the denier coronat of Charles I, a king seated facing on a lion-headed throne on Robert’s gillat, a crown with fleurs-de-lis on the sols coronats of Joanna and Louis II, a quartered shield on the half gros of René and Charles III. The first name is read in the legend: K or KAROLVS, ROBERT, IOHANA, LVDOVICVS, RINATVS.
Almost always a cross: a cross pattée on the small deniers, a foliate cross with a lily in each angle on the gillat, the double cross of Anjou on coins of the late 15th century. The count’s title appears here, in abbreviated forms such as ‘COMES PROVINCIE’ or ‘COMES PVINCIE ET FORCALQERII’ (Count of Provence and Forcalquier), and ‘COMITISA PVICIE’ for Queen Joanna.
These coins carry no year. The table therefore follows the order of the rulers and gives, for each type, the mint recorded in the catalogue entries consulted and the sign that lets you recognise it. Rolland numbers (R.) serve as a shared reference for dealers and collectors.
| Ruler | Period | Type | Mint | Distinctive sign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso of Aragon and Archbishop Raymond de Bollène | 1177-1185 | Mitre denier | Arles | Jointly issued coin, shared between the count and the Church of Arles. |
| Counts of the House of Barcelona | c. 1186-c. 1243 | Denier known as royal coronat | Marseille | Legend REX ARAGONE; attribution to particular reigns debated (Duplessy 1611). |
| Charles I of Anjou | after 1249 | Provençal tournois, 2nd type | Tarascon | Reverse ‘PVINCIALIS’; billon, 18 mm (R.20). |
| Charles I of Anjou | c. 1266-1277 | Denier coronat | Saint-Rémy | Crowned head left, cross pattée; about 1 g (R.37). |
| Charles I of Anjou | 13th century | Gros tournois | Avignon | Castle topped by a lily within a border of twelve lilies; 27 mm. |
| Charles II of Anjou | 1285-1309 | Carlino (gigliato) | Naples | Long classed as Provençal, now given back to the Naples mint. |
| Robert of Anjou | c. 1330-1339 | Gillat or robert | Saint-Rémy or Avignon | King seated between two lions; COMES PVINCIE ET FORCALQERII (R.51). |
| Joanna I | 1343-1382 | Sol coronat or parpaïolle | unknown | Crown with fleurs-de-lis; billon, 1.85 g (R.65). |
| Joanna I | c. 1372 | Gold florin ‘à la chambre’ | unknown | St John the Baptist standing; gold 948/1000, 3 g (R.87). |
| Louis II of Anjou | c. 1414 | Gros or sol coronat | Tarascon | Crown over two lilies beneath a label; silver 909/1000 (R.109). |
| René of Anjou | 1476-1480 | Half gros of Aix | Aix or Tarascon | Cross of Anjou; a tarasque at the start of the legend at Tarascon (R.139). |
| Charles III of Maine | 1480-1481 | Half gros | Aix or Tarascon | Legend IN HOC SIGNO VINCES; rare type (R.147). |
No mintage records exist for these issues: unknown for all. Mints, weights and references from the CGB and iNumis entries (specimens described one by one) and, for the Avignon gros, from Achat-or-et-argent. The attribution of some types is still debated among specialists.
In 1112, the marriage of Douce of Provence to Raymond Berengar of Barcelona brought the county to the Catalan house. Its counts often also bore the title of King of Aragon, which explains the legend REX ARAGONE on the deniers struck at Marseille. The earliest coinage of the counts was modest: small billon deniers and their halves, the oboles, used for everyday market purchases.
When Raymond Berengar V died in 1245, his daughter Beatrice married Charles of Anjou, brother of Saint Louis, in 1246. Having become King of Sicily in 1266, Charles put this title on his coins: ‘REX SICILIE’ on the obverse, ‘COMES PROVINCIE’ on the reverse. This double title, king in Italy and count in Provence, remained with his successors to the end.
The Angevins broadened the coinage: silver gros in the 13th century, gillats under Robert, gold florins under Queen Joanna, billon sols coronats for everyday use. After Joanna’s death in 1382, Louis I of Anjou, brother of King Charles V of France, founded a second Angevin line, which died out with Charles III of Maine, nephew of King René.
Engravers were short of space. They cut words, dropped letters and replaced some with a stroke or an apostrophe. A few keys are enough to find your way.
The prince’s first name is the first clue to look for. A lone K or KAROLVS means a Charles, and there are three of them: look at the type of coin and the coat of arms to decide. RINATVS indicates René, IOHANA Queen Joanna. The small marks between words (annulets, stacked dots) also help numismatists separate closely related issues. For the general method, see our French guide to reading a coin.
This is the most frequent confusion. The silver carlino, called gigliato in Italy and gillat in Provence, was born in Naples under Charles II. The two coins look very alike: a king enthroned facing, sceptre and orb in hand, a foliate cross with lilies in the angles on the reverse. Several carlini of Charles II once classed as Provençal are now attributed to the Naples mint.
The reverse settles the matter. The Naples carlino carries the motto ‘HONOR REGIS IVDICIVM DILIGIT’ (the king’s honour loves justice). Robert’s Provençal gillat replaces that motto with the count’s title: ‘COMES PVINCIE ET FORCALQERII’. A weight of about 3.8 g and a diameter of 24 to 25 mm fit both.
Other confusions exist. Deniers of the archbishops of Arles, neighbouring bishops or the princes of Orange circulated in the same territory. Papal coins of Avignon bear keys or the name of a pope. Deniers of the Marquisate of Provence, north of the Durance, belong to the counts of Toulouse. Finally, modern cast copies turn up at flea markets: edges too regular, soft lettering, grainy surface.
These coins were hammer-struck on hand-cut flans. An off-centre, oval coin or one with an incomplete legend is therefore not a modern defect: it is the normal state of most specimens. Sale descriptions often mention a ‘short flan’, or a cross showing through in reverse on the other side.
Fine relief goes first: the face and crown of the seated king, the lion heads of the throne, the leaves of the cross. On billon deniers, poor in silver, the surface quickly turns brown or green, and the letters blur. A clipped piece has lost part of its metal around the rim; you can tell from a legend cut off on one side.
Do not scrape anything or use any product: the patina helps you read the coin and protects the metal. Our French guides to toning and stains and to storing coins explain what can be left as it is and how to keep such fragile coins.
Charles III of Maine died in Marseille on 11 December 1481. By his will he left Provence to the King of France, Louis XI. The union was confirmed over the following years, and a perpetual union with the kingdom was proclaimed in 1487.
The mints of Aix-en-Provence and Tarascon, which were still striking for Charles III, then passed into the King’s service. Coins struck in Provence afterwards bear the name of the French sovereign, even if some kept local types for a while. A coin in the name of Louis XI, Charles VIII or their successors is therefore no longer a coin of the counts, even if struck at Aix or Marseille.
For a private owner, the dividing line is easy to remember: a title of Count or Countess of Provence on the reverse marks a coin from before 1482. A title of King of France indicates a royal coin, to be filed with other French coins.
A free town run by consuls, Grasse had signed treaties with Genoa (1171) and Pisa (1179) before being brought to heel by Count Raymond Berengar, who took possession of the Puy and Foux towers on 24 July 1227. Seat of a bailiwick, then of a vigueria (a district of the county) from 1250, the town thus lived for more than two and a half centuries under the counts whose names appear on these deniers and gros. It became French in 1482, along with the rest of the county.
Look for the first name in the legend (KAROLVS, ROBERT, IOHANA, LVDOVICVS, RINATVS), then the title ‘COMES’ on the reverse. The central design and the coat of arms then let you tell the three Charleses or the various Louis apart.
The type is the same, born in Naples under Charles II. Robert’s Provençal gillat is recognised by the title of Count of Provence and Forcalquier on the reverse, whereas the Neapolitan carlino carries a motto about the king’s justice.
Yes, to a limited extent. Queen Joanna issued gold florins showing St John the Baptist, at 948/1000 gold and about 3 g. Most of the counts’ coinage, however, is billon and silver.
Not necessarily: hammer striking often produced off-centre coins or short flans. A copy is more likely to give itself away through a grainy surface, soft lettering and an edge that is too regular. A numismatist can check this during a free assessment.