Kingdom of France, Isles du Vent (Antilles), Louis XV, 6 Sols 1731

Despite the economic importance of the French West Indies, France began to produce coins for the islands only in 1731. The first issues were small silver coins of 12 and 6 sols; the obverse depicted a bust of King Louis XV (1715-1774), and the reverse bore the inscription ISLES DU VENT, Islands of the Wind. The colonial coins were minted in La Rochelle, the important seaport on the Atlantic, as the letter H beneath the king's bust indicates.