France 1813-CL 40 francs

photo courtesy Stack's

This specimen was lot 820 in Stack's "Vermuele, Ward & Mexico Maxico" sale (New York, January 2010), where it sold for $2,300. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE. Napoleon, 1804-1814. 40 Francs, 1813 CL. Genoa. Laureate head l. Rv. Denomination within wreath, date below. A rare date, the key to the type, with only 3,070 examples struck. Light friction hairlines are noted in the lustrous fields. The devices are well struck up and well defined. An important coin for the specialist. EF-40 (PCGS). PCGS Population: 2; 1 finer (EF-45). From the Georgia Sea Islands Collection."

A complete set of this type, struck 1809-13, comprises 12 date and mintmark combinations, some very rare. This coin is an issue of the Genoa mint which operated as a French branch mint 1813-14 only, striking half, one, two, five, twenty and forty franc pieces, all rare. The type coin, the 1811-A, is the most numerous 40 francs of the entire series (1.26 million minted).

Specification: 26 mm diameter, 12.90 grams, 0.900 fine gold, edge lettered DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE. Designed by Jean-Pierre Droz (1746-1823) and Pierre Joseph Tiolier (1763-1819).

Recorded Mintage: 3,070.

Catalog reference: F.544/12, KM 696.2, Fr-510.

Source:

Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
^[2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies. Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.

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France 1813-CL 40 francs

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