France 1839-A 40 francs
This specimen was lot 1898 in Jean Elsen sale 160 (Brussels, November 2024), where it sold for €46,000 (about US$58,236 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Louis-Philippe (1830-1848), AV 40 francs, 1839 A, Paris. De la plus haute rareté. Petits coups. Avec brillant de frappe. La dernière et la plus rare de toutes les 40 francs or. Seulement 17 exemplaires frappés. Superbe. (kingdom of France, Louis Philippe, 1830-48, gold forty francs of 1839, Paris mint. Extremely rare, minor nicks, mint luster, the last and rarest of the gold forty francs. Only 17 pieces struck, extremely fine.)"
Records show 773,000 forty franc pieces were minted during the reign, compared to 9.13 million twenty franc pieces and 335 million silver five franc pieces. This is a rare date; Le Franc reports two known to exist.
Recorded mintage: 17[2].
Specification: 12.90 g, 0.900 fine gold, 26 mm diameter, edge lettered DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE, designed by Joseph François Domard (1792-1858).
Catalog reference: F.546/12, KM 747.1, Gad-1106; Fr-557.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 160, Collection de deniers liegeois et Collection de monnaies d'or francaises, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2024.
- [2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies. Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
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