had been Page 271 coined, was offered by the public. It was sold in 1850-51 by the Government, which thereby lost rather more than 1 million.
There is a very noticeable point connected with this reform. The law of September 1847 admitted trade coins in gold by the side of the legal silver coins and fractional money. Besides the ducats, which are still in demand from time to time, there were Guillaumes d'or, double- and half-Guillaumes. These pieces were inscribed only with the weight and fineness.
This system failed completely. Though the gold Guillaume was coined of the same weight and fineness as the old 10-florin piece, which was much in request, people would not have it. The uncertainty of its value made it unpopular. Between the years 1851 and 1853