France 1813-W 20 francs

Stack's Bowers November 2015 sale, lot 39127

Stack's Bowers February 2023 Collector's Choice sale, lot 73090

The first specimen was lot 39127 in Stack's Bowers Winter sale (Baltimore, November 2015), where it sold for $4,112.50. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE. 20 Franc, 1813-W. Lille Mint. NGC MS-65. The single finest graded and in all likelihood the finest extant. One has to wonder if Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign the year before this coin was struck led some shrewd denizen of Lille, sensing impending disaster, to set this coin aside the instant they received it. Struck from fresh dies and with roaring bright luster, this GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED coin has full credentials to match the assigned grade. Razor sharp details and virtually no breaks in the luster conspire to create a coin of the highest quality and desirability. A piece that should draw considerable attention as it crosses the auction block."

The second specimen was lot 73090 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2023), where it sold for $528. The catalog description^[2] noted, "FRANCE. 20 Francs, 1813-W. Lille Mint. Napoleon I. NGC AU-53. Demonstrating impressive shine and appeal, this charming piece offers strong details and good luster throughout. A wholesome and appealing specimen." This issue, from the Lille mint, is a better date of a type struck 1809-15. After the year 14, the revolutionary calendar was dropped in favor of the traditional Gregorian calendar. The twenty francs of Napoleon are divided into seven types, of which this is the seventh. It was demonetized in 2005 but ceased to circulate during World War One. A complete set of this type comprises 42 date and mintmark combinations. The entire production run totaled about 13 million pieces.

Specification: 21 mm diameter, 6.45 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: 104,300^[3].

Catalog reference: Fr-512; KM-695.10; Gad-1025, F.516/38.

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.
^[3]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.
^[1]Ponterio, Richard, and Todd McKenna, The November 2015 Baltimore Auction, World Coins and Paper Money, featuring the Ray Czabor Collection and selections from the Strong Museum, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2015.
^[2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.

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France 1813-W 20 francs

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