v35_0292 - LOUIS XVI Médaille en cuivre du sacre du 15 octobre 1722

LOUIS XVI

(06/11/1775)

During the coronation of a king of France, from Henri II, tokens and medals were made. In his work on the medals and tokens of the coronation of the kings of France in Reims, Sombart distinguishes three categories whose usefulness is diverse: firstly, in gold, they are used for the ceremony during which the king offers 13 to the archbishop; secondly, tokens and medals were distributed when the king left the cathedral to the crowd massed in the forecourt; thirdly, coronation tokens and medals were made privately and were sold to commemorate the event either at the time of the coronation or afterwards. Concerning the coronations in Reims, 112 types of tokens and medals are known for kings Henri II, François II, Charles IX, Henri III, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Charles X.