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Louis XVI as King of the French under the Constitution, in 1792. Note the combination of traditional symbols of monarchy on the obverse with newly created (or resurrected) symbols of republicanism on the reverse. The new republican symbols include the Spirit of France (with wings) writing a constitution flanked on either side by a fasces representing strength (the ancient Roman symbol of the Republic (these were carried by the escorts (lictors) of republican office holders as a symbol of their authority)), the rooster for vigilance, and the liberty cap for freedom from oppression. The traditional date has been replaced with a dating system based on the creation of the constitutional monarchy in 1788 (the year of Liberty).
