France 1844-A 1/4 franc
This specimen was lot 45496 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $109. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. 1/4 Franc, 1844-A. Paris Mint. Louis Philippe I. PCGS MS-64. From the Richard Margolis Collection." This tiny coin was struck at Paris under the régime of king Louis Philippe of France (1830-48). It is a common 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. The catalog[2] notes 108 dates for the type, some very rare.
Recorded mintage: 815,730, a common date.
Specification: 1.25 g, 0.900 fine silver, 15 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: F.166/97, KM-740.1; Gad-355.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [2]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.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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