France 1819-T 20 francs
This specimen was lot 4334 in Sincona sale 9 (Zürich, October 2012), where it sold for 575 CHF (about US$727 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANKREICH Louis XVIII. 1814, 1815-1824. 20 Francs 1819, Nantes. Vorzüglich. (France, Louis XVIII, 1814-24, twenty francs of 1819, Nantes mint. Extremely fine.)"
This issue, from the Nantes mint, is one of a type struck during the reign of Louis XVIII from seven mints. Paris mint issues are reasonably common but the branch mint issues are generally rare. A complete set of this type (1816-24) comprises 34 date and mintmark combinations. Le Franc[2] estimates a total mintage of 12.7 million for the whole type. All gold twenty francs were officially recalled in 1928 but effectively ceased to circulate during World War I.
Recorded mintage: 8,662; compare to 2,349,150 from Paris.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, 21 mm diameter, edge lettered *DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM*, this specimen 6,43 g.
Catalog reference: Gad-1028, Schl. 161, Fr-544, F.519/17.
- 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.
- [2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals, Banknotes & Books: Auction 9, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2012.
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