France 1816 centime

Steve Album sale 55, lot 2777

This specimen was lot 2777 in Steve Album Auction 55 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $180. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE: Napoleon II, AE centime, 1816, Essais pattern for the pretender, a lovely example, PCGS graded MS63 BN." Altho often catalogued as a pattern, and the word "ESSAI" is engraved into the reverse, this is actually a fantasy struck outside of France in the 1860's. Napoleon II died in 1832, having never set foot in France after 1815.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 1.95 g, copper, 18 mm diameter, plain edge.

Catalog reference: KM-XE6, VG-2415, Maz-645, Gad-78.

Sources:

• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Unusual World Coins, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2011.
• Guilloteau, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, Colonies 1670-1942 et Metropole 1774-1942, Versailles, 1942.
• ^[1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Hanbing Feng, Auction 55, featuring Selections from the Swamperbob Gurney Collection of Cap & Ray 8 Reales, the Kenneth A. Bovenkamp Collection of Ottoman Coins and the 1914 Collection of World Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2026.

Links:

• 1816-A franc
• 1816-W franc
• 1816-A 5 francs
• 1816-B 5 francs
• 1816-W 5 francs
• 1816-A 20 francs
• 1816-L 20 francs
• 1816-Q 20 francs
• 1816-W 20 francs
• 1816-A 40 francs
• 1816-L 40 francs
• 1816-Q 40 francs
• 1816-W 40 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1816
• return to French one centime coins, 1795-2001