France 1819-W 20 francs
This specimen was lot 29684 in Heritage sale 3040 (Chicago, April 2015), where it sold for $1,527.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Louis XVIII gold 20 Francs 1819-W MS63 NGC, Lille mint. Full mint bloom engulfs the surfaces with crisp central detail and few marks. A much better coin in top grades such as the present." This issue, from the Lille 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: 218,013; compare to 2,349,150 from Paris.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, 21 mm diameter, edge lettered *DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM*.
Catalog reference: Gad-1028, KM 712.9, F.519/18.
- 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage Signature Auction 3040, featuring the Santa Maria, the Alan Dean and the Valley View Life Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
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