FRANCE: Medieval gold Agnel (mouton d’or) of King John II

Code: 11272

This is a fabulous medieval gold coin issued by the French King John II (the Good) 1350 - 1364 A.D.

The obverse depicts the Paschal Lamb (or Agnus Dei) and standard within tressure, ioh rex (King John) below. Around the obverse legend reads: + AGn ° DEI ° QVI ° TOLL '° PCCA ° mVDI ° mISERERE ° nOB, (lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us).

The reverse of the coin displays a floriated cross in quadrilobe, fleurs de lis in angles, the legend reads: + XP'C * VINCIT * XP'C * REGNAT * XP'C * IMPERAT, (Christ overcomes, Christ reigns, Christ commands)

Within a year of the issue of this coin, the French had suffered yet another defeat by the English at the Battle of Poitiers. King John had been captured and a great ransom demanded of four million gold ecu's. A great many of these coins would have been taxed to pay for the king's ransom, most were melted down by the English to be recoined as 'Treaty-period' gold nobles.

It is a great looking coin that is full of history and artistic merit!

DENOMINATION: Mouton d'or

CULTURE: Medieval France

DATE: 1355 A.D.

MATERIAL: Gold 22k

SIZE: 30.11mm diameter

WEIGHT: 4.57 grams

ATTRIBUTION: Dup. 291; Fr. 280

PROVENANCE: Formerly in the D. Moreau collection. Paris.