Lille, Trade Token ND (1827)

Category: France
Country/Region: France
Ruler/Area: Lille
Denomination: Trade Token
Year: ND (1827)
Weight: 2,291 g
Material: Copper
Reference: Batty 2358
Grade: EF
Quality Note: Toned
Description: In 1827, a strange and previously unseen copper coin with a face value of 1 liard (1 duit) appeared in Lille. Along with this coin, a rumor spread that it had been minted by one of the metal merchants in Liège. People claimed that the coin bore the image of the Duke of Reichstadt (Napoleon II, son of Napoleon Bonaparte), and this was seen as political propaganda. The truth was that a Liège merchant had sold 320,000 “Maximus” tokens bearing the image of a lion to someone for 4,000 francs; these tokens were in circulation alongside all the small foreign coins in use at the time. In Lille, this supposed currency entered circulation despite its Belgian origin. It is claimed that Hasebrouck (another town near Lille) also facilitated a visit by the Liège merchant, who supplied similar coins



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