Ecu au Porc-epic Public Deposited
A name given to the Ecu d'or of Louis XII of France, on account of the porcupines on the reverse, in the angles of the cross.
In 1522, in consequence of the lack of English coins, several foreign coins of both gold and silver were proclaimed current in England; among these were " crowns named Porpynes, at four shillings and four pence Sterling. " Possibly this reference is to a silver coin with a porcupine on it, as Louis introduced a Gros au Porc-epic into his Franco-Italian series, which was issued at Milan.
- Frey's Dictionary (American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 50, 1916)