Description:
French copper coin, possibly twelve deniers, 1792
Diameter 29mm
The obverse features the bust of Louis XVI facing left. The inscription reads 'LOUIS XVI ROI DES FRANCOIS', 'Louis XVI King of the French'. There is an unidentified mintmark below the bust. The reverse features the fasces - sticks bound together to symbolise unity and power - with a staff bearing the Phrygian, or liberty, cap bound up within it. The fasces divides the denomination and appears within a wreath. Around the outside is the inscription 'LA NATION LA LOI LE ROI', 'The Nation The Law The King', indicating that the nation, or the people, are the real 'sovereigns' of the country and the source of the law, which the King is responsible for upholding. The inscription around the base reads '1792 L'AN 1 DE LA LIB(ERTE)', the first year of the French Revoutionary Calendar.