Teston of Henry II

The Teston of Henry II stands out for its use of mint marks that pinpointed the exact workshop, from Paris to Toulouse, helping track silver flow across a fractious kingdom.

These silver coins, weighing around nine grams, featured Henry II's profile on the obverse, his features stern under a crown. The reverse often showed a cross with fleurs-de-lis, symbols of French royalty that doubled as a nod to the monarchy's claims in Italy. Struck during wars that drained the treasury, some Testons show signs of hasty production, like uneven strikes.

We don't know the exact mintage figures; records from that era are spotty, lost to time and revolutions. What survives are the coins themselves, often found in hoards that speak to economic turmoil.

As for myths, I've heard tales of these being cursed by alchemists. It's nonsense— they were just currency, not talismans.