What Billon Coinage Is and Why It Was Used
Billon coinage refers to pieces struck from a low-value alloy dominated by base metal, typically copper, with only a modest silver content. In practice, billon allowed a government to create large quantities of small change while conserving precious-metal reserves, even if the resulting coins traded at a discount compared with full-fineness silver issues. By the late 17th century and into the early 1700s, France faced sustained fiscal stress and chronic small-change needs. French policy turned to billon for small-change needs. For example, an October 1692 edict under Louis XIV ordered older billon coinage to be restruck with new designs and reissued as 15 deniers sous, and some of this coinage was countermarked and sent to New France.
From about 1709 to 1760, several French billon issues became important in colonial numismatics because many examples circulated in French overseas possessions and appear in colonial-era contexts, although intended use can vary by type and mint. Collectors often group these issues as French colonial billon coinage because they appear in overseas-circulation and are studied alongside other colonial-era money, including material tied to Canada, Louisiana, and French Caribbean trade.
One important denomination was the 15 deniers billon coin, a smaller companion to the widely discussed 30 deniers. In standard colonial-focused summaries, the 15 deniers of this series is identified as a product of the Metz Mint. As a billon issue, it was lighter and intrinsically less valuable than comparable silver coins, and it circulated accordingly. Its design language was straightforward and consistent with French royal types of the era: a crowned double “L” monogram on the obverse and a cross motif on the reverse, communicating royal authority and a recognizable national style even on low-value metal.
The 30 deniers billon coin is often nicknamed the “Mousquetaire.” In colonial-coin collecting literature it is also commonly referred to as a Double Sol. Colonial-coin references note that 30 deniers pieces were struck at Lyon (D) and Metz (AA) and are found in colonial-era usage. Lyon issues circulated in the American colonies, while Metz issues had specific domestic circulation and military-pay roles, even though examples are also encountered in colonial collections and hoards. Like the 15 deniers, they typically show a crowned double “L” on the obverse and a cross on the reverse, with legends that include the denomination and mintmark. The royal authorizations most frequently cited for this export coinage are the edicts of September 26, 1709, and June 15, 1711.
Mintmarks help separate major varieties. For example, “AA” is associated with Metz, while a “D” mintmark is associated with Lyon on relevant 30 deniers issues. These identifiers matter because they connect surviving coins to specific production centers, which is particularly useful when evaluating pieces that appear in North American hoards or long-held colonial collections.
A significant turning point came in 1738 under Louis XV. He issued an edict in October 1738, earlier 30 deniers coins were recalled and replaced by a new billon piece valued at 24 deniers, widely known as the Double Sol or Sou Marqué. Large-scale recoining followed, with multiple French mints participating early on. Because billon has low silver content, many pieces developed dark toning and base-metal exposure with circulation and corrosion. Some billon coinage was also treated to give a more silvery surface appearance, and later variation in silver content at some mints further affects how survivors look today. As a result, examples that retain strong original detail and remaining surface brightness can be hard to find. The Sou Marqué type continued well beyond the mid-18th century, with standard references noting issuance from 1738 into the 19th century, even though colonial-era collecting typically focuses on the earlier decades and their North American connections.
