France 1845-B 1/2 franc
This specimen was lot 4712 in Goldberg sale 69 (Los Angeles, May, 2012), where it did not sell. The catalog description[2] noted, "France. ½ Franc, 1845-B. Louis Philippe I. Brilliant mint luster. NGC graded MS-66." This dime-sized coin was struck at Rouen under the régime of king Louis Philippe (1830-48). It is the final 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 115 dates for the type, some very rare. This date is common.
Recorded mintage: 917,780[1] (second highest mintage for the type), plus 1,582,498 fifty centimes (F.183/1).
Specification: 18 mm diameter, 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, reeded edge. Designed by Joseph François Domard, 1792-1858.
Catalog reference: F.182/114, KM-741.2; Gad-408.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]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.
- [2]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Stephen Harvey and Paul Rynearson, Goldberg sale 69: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Ancient and World Coins, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2012.
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