France 1811-MA 1/2 franc

from the Mountain Groan Collection

Stack's Bowers September 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 71428

This type was struck in France at numerous mints 1809-14 and a complete set comprises 64 dates and mintmarks. This date, from the Marseille mint, is scarce in any grade. The mintmark is known with and without the left leg of the "M"; the "without leg" variety shown here is slightly more common. The second specimen was lot 71428 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $660. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Empire. Demi Franc (1/2 Franc), 1811-MA. Marseille Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS AU-55. Verging upon Mint State status, this alluring minor presents a charmingly toned nature and stands as the finer of just two observed in the PCGS census. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Parsy in 1999 for $154). Ex: Thierry Parsy (3/1999) Lot # 257."

Recorded mintage: 68,874.

Specification: 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, plain edge, 18 mm diameter, designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier (1763-1819).

Catalog reference: KM-691.11; Gad-399; F.178/23.

Source:

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.
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 1811-MA 1/2 franc

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