France 1807-I 1/2 franc

Stack's Bowers September 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 71415

This specimen was lot 71415 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $1,440. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Empire. Demi Franc (1/2 Franc), 1807-I. Limoges Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS AU-53. A VERY RARE type that is one of just two observed in the PCGS census, this near-Mint minor presents alluring golden-yellow hues and a minimum with respect to circulation. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Galerie des Monnaies in 1981 for $412.50). Ex: Galerie des Monnaies (7/1981) Lot # 1768." This type was struck 1806-07 with eleven different date-mintmark combinations, of which the 1806-A is the only one at all common. In 1806 the French revolutionary calendar was dropped and normal AD dating resumed.

Recorded mintage: 3,842^[2], a rare date.

Specification: 2.5 grams, 0.900 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, decorated edge. Designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier, 1763-1819.

Catalog reference: F.175/6, KM-671.2; Gad-396.

Sources:

Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.

Link to:

France 1807-I 1/2 franc

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