How to Identify the Double Louis d'Or

Begin with the obverse portrait. The Double Louis d'Or of this type shows Louis XIV in profile facing right, with the long, curled flowing hair of his later portraits, ringed by the legend 'LUDOVICUS MAGNUS'. That legend, combined with a right-facing bust and no armor-clad younger portrait, points to the Sun King rather than a later Louis. Read the surrounding text for the royal title and the date—1701 on this example.

Turn to the reverse to confirm the type. Look for an ornate cross built from four crowned shields of the French arms (fleurs-de-lis), with floral or palm ornaments in the angles between them. This cross-of-arms reverse is characteristic of the Louis XIV gold; a plain cross, a single large shield, or a different device suggests another denomination, reign or country.

Weigh and measure the coin to separate a double from a single Louis d'Or. Both denominations share the same portrait and reverse style, so the double is identified chiefly by its greater diameter and weight—roughly double the gold of a single Louis. Compare against published specifications for the 1701 standard; a coin that matches the single Louis in size is not a double.

Find the mint mark. French royal coins carry a single letter identifying the mint that struck them, placed within the design. Locating and reading this letter helps confirm authenticity and pin down the exact issue, since some mints are far scarcer than others for a given date.

Be cautious about authenticity. High-value gold coins like this are among the most commonly counterfeited and are also found as later restrikes, jewelry-mounted pieces (look for solder traces or a smoothed edge) and cast copies with soft, mushy detail or wrong weight. For any coin of real value, confirm weight, diameter and gold fineness, compare against trusted reference images of the 1701 type, and consider professional authentication before buying or selling.