France 1793-K 6 deniers

Stack's Bowers June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction, part of lot 71285

This specimen was part of lot 71285 in Stack's Bowers June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, June 2026), which sold for $854. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Kingdom—Constitution. Nonet of Mixed Denominations (9 Pieces), 1789-93. Louis XVI. FINE Details to ABOUT UNCIRCULATED Details. 1) 1/2 Ecu, 1789-L. VERY FINE. Cleaned. 2) 1/2 Ecu, 1789-L. FINE. Scratched. 3) 1/2 Ecu, 1790-H. ABOUT UNCIRCULATED. Cleaned, Scratched. 4) 1/2 Ecu, 1790-T. FINE. Graffiti. 5) 24 Sols, 1789-W. AU. Graffiti. 6) 24 Sols, 1790-L. VERY FINE. Cleaned. 7) 12 Sols, 1789-A. Second semester. VERY FINE. 8) 12 Sols, 1789-N. EXTREMELY FINE. Cleaned. 9) Constitution. 6 Deniers, 1793-K. FINE. SOLD AS IS/NO RETURNS. From the Richard Margolis Collection." This six deniers constitutionnel was struck 1792-93 at several mints, of which Bordeaux (shown here) and Nantes were the only ones to issue in 1793. Demi-sols aux balances (Gad-10) exist but are rare. Both types usually come crudely struck with the demi-sol aux balances especially bad. Gadoury estimates about three million were made of all dates versus 120 million of the twelve deniers.

The provisional mints of the Revolution.^[2] Responding to an acute coin shortage caused by the collapse of the assignats, the National Assembly late in 1791 authorized the establishment of temporary mints to supplement the output of base metal coinage by the regular mints. These provisional mints were to be close to existing mints and supervised by mint personnel. These requirements were ignored. The following mints are known to have produced three, six and twelve denier pieces and two sols: Convent des Barnabites (in Paris, but outside the Mint), mintmark "A" with a dot; Arras, mintmark "W" with a dot; Besançon, mintmark "BB"; Clermont-Ferrand, mintmark "I" with a dot; Dijon, mintmark "D" with a dot; Metz (adjacent to the regular mint), mintmark "AA" with a dot; Roanne, mintmark "D"; and Saumur, mintmark "T" with a dot. Most of these mints were closed by the end of 1792 tho some may have operated into 1793.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 6.11 g, copper or brass, 26 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM-610.3; Gad-8.

Source:

Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
^[2]Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
Guilloteau, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, Colonies 1670-1942 et Metropole 1774-1942, Versailles, 1942.
Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction - Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, the Richard Margolis Collection and the Kirk Menczer Collection of Republican Reales Minors, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2026.

Link to:

France 1793-K 6 deniers

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