France 1809-B 10 centimes

from the Stack's Bowers 2018 Collector's Choice sale, lot 70485

This specimen was lot 70485 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, May 2018), where it sold for $408. The catalog description^[2] noted, "FRANCE. 10 Centimes, 1809-B. Rouen Mint. NGC MS-63. Good strike with soft satin luster." The specimen shown is one of a type struck 1807-10 during the regime of the Emperor Napoleon. This Rouen mint issue is a better date but not rare. Eight other mints struck this type.

This type is the only billon issue of the decimal series. It failed for the same reason as the billon issues of Louis XV failed: rampant counterfeiting and rejection by the populace. The authors of Le Franc^[1] note, "Ce type est sans contestation possible le plus falsifié de l'histoire monétaire moderne de la France (This type is without doubt the most counterfeited in the modern history of France)." They comment that one out of three examples seen are fakes but that they are collectible nonetheless.

Only high grade specimens show the silver look of the images displayed here. Circulated examples show the dark greenish gray typical of base silver coins.

Recorded mintage: 831,109^[1].

Specification: billon (20% silver, 80% copper), 2 g, 18 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: F.130/11, KM-676.2; Gad-190.

Source:

^[2]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The May 2018 Collector's Choice Sale, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
^[1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.

Link to:

France 1809-B 10 centimes

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