France 1838-A 1/2 franc
The first specimen was lot 487 in Stack's Coin Galleries sale (New York, December 2009), where it sold for $517.50. The catalog description noted, "FRANCE. Louis Philippe, 1830-1848. Proof ½ Franc, 1838 A. Paris. Oak-crowned head r. as King of the French. Rv. Value in olive and laurel. French Proof coinage of this era is little studied in France and examples are very seldom encountered. Ancient lacquer. Flan bruni, Brilliant Proof." This dime-sized coin was struck at Paris under the régime of king Louis Philippe (1830-48). It is rather common date of a type struck 1831-45. All half francs of this reign are of this type, which is common. It was replaced in 1845 by a fifty centimes piece (F.183) and demonetized in 1869.
The catalog[1] notes 114 dates for the type, some very rare. This date is common, being priced about 20% higher than the commonest date (1841A, 1842B or 1845B).
Recorded mintage: 385,324[1], 385,000[2].
Specification: 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, reeded edge. Designed by Joseph François Domard, 1792-1858.
Catalog reference: Gad-408, F.182/75, KM 741.1.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [2]Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
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