France (Royal). Philippe IV, le Bel (the Fair) (1285-1314)

AR Gros Tournois à l’O rond (958‰ fineness). Struck 1285-1290. 3.81 g., 24.76 mm. max. (clipped), 0°

Ciani 206, LaFaurie 218, Duplessy 214, Dhénin 258, Roberts 2461

Obv.: + BNDICTV: SIT: NOmE: DNI: nRI: DEI: IhV. XPI with 3-pellet stops (= Benedictum Sit Nomen Domini Nostri Dei Ihesu Christus = Blessed in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ) around + PhILIPPVS REX around cross pattée.

Rev.: + TVRONVS CIVIS (= City of Tours) around châtel tournois, surrounded by floral border of twelve embedded lis.

Van Hengel (1997) Group 200 (PhILLIPPVS legend with no punctuation marks in PhILLIPVS REX and TVRONVS CIVITAS). Van Hengel initially hesitated over whether this group is imitative, i.e., the work of professional moneyers and struck by a minting authority with the right to mint coins, somewhere. He later (1999) concluded that the group is imitative. The variable letter characteristics of the coin, according to the Van Hengel system, are:
• The first three Ns in the obverse outer legend appear as Hs, which is a later development;
• The M in NOME is open, as per Tyler-Smith letter form 2 var., another late development;
• There is no single pellet stop before XPI;
• The R in PhILLIPVS is a variant letter form not depicted by Tyler-Smith;
• The T on the reverse is a non-specific variant letter form depicted but not numbered by Tyler-Smith;
• The Vs on the reverse are a variant letter form not depicted by Tyler-Smith;
• The N on the reverse is Tyler-Smith variant letter form 2 (retrograde).