France 1863-BB 5 francs d'or
This specimen was lot 55317 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. 5 Francs, 1863-BB. Strasbourg Mint. Napoleon III. PCGS AU-58. From the Collection of Richard Evans Norton (1872-1946)." This type was struck 1862-68 during the régime of Napoleon III. All 18 million were struck at the Paris (mintmark "A") and Strasbourg (mintmark "BB") mints. This is the smallest gold denomination struck in France and is very slightly lighter than the contemporary United States gold dollar. Most dates are readily available altho gems are scarce. This type is commonly called the "Laureate head." After the collapse of Napoleon's empire during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it was superseded by the "Cérès head" type of 1878-89 (essais only). It was officially withdrawn from circulation in 1928 and demonetized in 2005 but ceased to circulate after World War One.
Recorded mintage: 1,103,564, a slightly scarce date.
Specification: 1.61 g, 0.900 fine gold, 17 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: F.502/3, Fr-578; KM-783; Gad-1000.
- 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, 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: