France 1838-K 1/4 franc
This specimen was lot 22293 in Heritage sale 61352 (Dallas, December 2023), where it sold for $51. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: Louis Philippe 1/4 Franc 1838-K AU58 NGC, Bordeaux mint. A very scarce, low-mintage Louis Philippe minor that only comes up for public auction every few years. This ever-so-gently circulated specimen is about as nice as you will hope to find and as such we anticipate significant enthusiasm from those looking to fill this hole in their collection." This tiny coin was struck at Rouen under the régime of king Louis Philippe of France (1830-48). It is a rare date of a type struck 1831-45. All quarter francs of this reign are of this type, which is common. It was replaced in 1845 by a twenty-five centimes piece (F.167) and demonetized in 1852. Le Franc[2] notes 108 dates for the type, some very rare.
Recorded mintage: 16,144.
Specification: 1.25 g, 0.900 fine silver, 15 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: F.166/75, KM 740.7, Gad-305.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2023 December 10 Spotlight: France World Coins Showcase Auction #61352, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auctions, 2023.
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