Semi-Official Counterfeiting in France 1380-1422

Tinned-copper fake French blanc of the period

Tinned copper fake French blanc of the period

David W. Sorenson

“Semi-Official Counterfeiting:
‘False’ Coinage Produced within the
French Mints
1380–1422
and What It Tells Us”

Here we publish the illustrated text of David’s paper on “Semi-Official Counterfeiting” as a freely downloadable pdf. The article is set by David Sorenson in RGME Bembino, our high-quality multilingual digital font, also freely available. This publication marks the first publication on our website of the full text of a paper presented at our sponsored Congress Sessions.

The paper formed part of our 2015 Session on “Making It or Faking It? The Strange Truths of ‘False Witnesses’ to Medieval Forms” at the 50th International Congress on Medieval Studies. This Session and our other Activities are described in posts on the 2015 Congress Events Announced and the 2015 Congress Report. In preparing for the Congress, we posted the Abstracts for the Papers, including this one.

First the Abstract, next the Paper.

Abstract

The study of coinage has uncovered numerous examples of counterfeiting, ranging from “official” counterfeits, where an official mint strikes issues which copy its own issues (extending from the issuance of plated coins with official dies to the production of seriously debased “official” issues) all the way down to run-of-the-mill fakes. This paper looks at a variety of counterfeits, official, semi-official, and private-enterprise in the France of Charles VI (1380–1422), with emphasis on an incident in which mint personnel were caught attempting to produce their own bogus coin.

In “official” cases the mint imitated its own coinage, through producing coinage of lower standards to the same design. In semi-official cases some other mint-produced imitations, either with (e. g. Burgundy) or without (e. g. Rummen) the sanction of the original authority. Slightly less official was the tendency of mint officials to produce substandard coinage when they could get away with it, which resulted in the introduction of mint-marks. Finally, we have all sorts of individuals trying to make some extra cash by faking the coinage, or by creating extras just to have some money for expenses when the official currency did not suffice.

Somewhere on this spectrum falls the case of the Paris mint workers of 1421 who attempted to produce some extra currency of their own. They were caught, hence the information we have about them and their activities. We do not know precisely what happened to them, but the penalties were not light.

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The Paper is here.

Cover of David Sorenson's Article on "Semi-Official Counterfeiting" for the Session Sponsored by the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence at the 2015 International Congress on Medieval Studies, with images of 2 coins and a workshop for striking coins.

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The Abstracts for all David Sorenson’s presentations at our sponsored Congress Sessions (2011–) can be found in their Abstracts Listed by Author.  They appear here:

The first four presentations belonged to our annual series of sessions on “Medieval Writing Materials” at the

See also the 2015 Congress Report. The series resumed for the 2016 Congress.

David’s Abstract for his paper at our 2013 Symposium at Princeton University appears in its Program Booklet: Identity & Authenticity.

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Now we publish the illustrated text of David’s paper on “Semi-Official Counterfeiting” as a freely downloadable pdf. The article is set by David Sorenson in RGME Bembino, also freely available.

This publication marks the first of Research Group publications on our website of the full text of a paper presented at our sponsored Congress Sessions.

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We thank him for his generous contributions to our activities.

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[Update:

Front Cover of Paper by David W. Sorenson on "Paper-Moulds and Paper Traditions" (2017 and 2020), with 7 illustrations from paper manuscripts in various languages

Front Cover of Paper by David W. Sorenson on “Paper-Moulds and Paper Traditions” (2017 and 2020)

Other Papers by David Sorenson are now available for download on our website.

1) David’s Abstract in our 2020 Symposium Booklet has been expanded to a Paper:

Intended to be presented at our 2020 Spring Symposium (which had to be cancelled or postponed), this paper is presented as a Draft for Comment.

2) David’s Paper for the 2017 Conference of the World History Association has been revised for publication here in 2020:

Likewise presented as a Draft for Comment, this paper forms a 14-page illustrated booklet.

More of his Abstracts for Papers are also available.

1) Our Congress Sessions:

  • 2016
  • 2020 (now rescheduled for the 2021 Congress)

and for our Symposia in

As mentioned above, David’s Abstract in the 2020 Symposium Booklet has been expanded to a Draft Paper for Feedback:

  • “A Quick Introduction to Indian Manuscripts for the Non-Specialist”, with examples and illustrations,
    available as a download here

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