France 1862-A 2 centimes
This specimen was lot 55322 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $80. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. 2 Centimes, 1862-A. Paris Mint. Napoleon III. PCGS MS-65 Red. From the Jerome S. Reznick Collection." The regime of Napoleon III finally carried out plans developed during the 1840's to melt down and remint all the old copper circulating in France, some of it dating back to before the Revolution of 1789. Several branch mints were reopened for this purpose. The existing mints were Paris ("A"), Strasbourg ("BB") and Bordeaux ("K"); the reopened mints were Lille ("W"), Marseilles ("MA"), Rouen ("B") and Lyon ("D"). This "laureate head" type was struck 1861-62 only at Paris (shown here), Bordeaux and Strasbourg. The two centimes is the rarest of the bronze denominations of Napoleon III, tho none are rare.
Recorded mintage: 6,587,750, a common date.
Specification: bronze, 2 g, 20 mm diameter, plain edge, designed by Jean-Jacques Barré (1793-1855).
Catalog reference: F.108A/4, KM-796.4; Gad-104.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
Link to:
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- 1862-A 5 centimes
- 1862-BB 5 centimes
- 1862-A 10 centimes
- 1862-A 50 centimes
- 1862-A 5 francs
- 1862-A 10 francs
- 1862-A 20 francs d'or
- 1862-A 50 francs
- 1862-BB 20 francs
- 1862-BB 50 francs d'or
- 1862-A 100 francs d'or
- 1862-BB 100 francs d'or
- 1878-A 2 centimes
- Coins and currency dated 1862