The livre (
French for '
pound') was the currency of the
Kingdom of France and its predecessor state of
West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre referred to both units of account and coins. The last banknotes and coins of the livre were issued in
Year II of the revolutionary
French First Republic (1794). In 1795, the
franc was introduced, and the first one-franc coin was struck in 1803. The word livre survived; until the middle of the 19th century it was indifferently used alongside the word franc, especially to express large amounts and transactions linked with property (such as real estate, property incomes, or cattle). This 24-livre coin was minted in
Lille in 1793, under the First Republic, and is now part of the
National Numismatic Collection at the
Smithsonian Institution. The obverse features a depiction of a winged
genius by the French sculptor
Augustin Dupré.Coin design credit:
Paris Mint and
Augustin Dupré; photographed by the
National Numismatic Collection
The livre (
French for '
pound') was the currency of the
Kingdom of France and its predecessor state of
West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre referred to both units of account and coins. The last banknotes and coins of the livre were issued in
Year II of the revolutionary
French First Republic (1794). In 1795, the
franc was introduced, and the first one-franc coin was struck in 1803. The word livre survived; until the middle of the 19th century it was indifferently used alongside the word franc, especially to express large amounts and transactions linked with property (such as real estate, property incomes, or cattle). This 24-livre coin was minted in
Lille in 1793, under the First Republic, and is now part of the
National Numismatic Collection at the
Smithsonian Institution. The obverse features a depiction of a winged
genius by the French sculptor
Augustin Dupré.Coin design credit:
Paris Mint and
Augustin Dupré; photographed by the
National Numismatic Collection