France 1838-A 2 francs
This specimen was lot 2391 in Sincona sale 80 (Zürich, October 2022), where it sold for 225 CHF (about US$270 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE | Kingdom, Louis Philippe, 1830-1848. 2 Francs 1838 A, Paris. Good extremely fine. Nicely toned." This type was struck 1832-48 during the reign of Louis Philippe I from numerous mints. The specimen shown is from Strasbourg. Many issues of this type are known from a handful (<10) of examples. The type is not difficult to find but is expensive in high grade. All two francs issued prior to 1859, including this one, were demonetized in 1869 to make way for the succeeding issue which was only 0.835 fine.
Recorded mintage: 93,180, a better date.
Specification: 10 g, 0.900 fine silver, 27 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Joseph François Domard, 1792-1858. This specimen is 9.99 g.
Catalog reference: F.260/69, Gadoury 520; KM 743.1.
- Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 80, World Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, World Banknotes, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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