France 1865-A 100 francs
This specimen was lot 2305 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 2,000 (about US$2,635 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"100 Francs 1865. Paris Fast vorzüglich-vorzüglich. (empire of France, Napoleon III, hundred francs of 1865, Paris mint, extremely fine or better.)"
Altho these large gold coins usually trade for little over their bullion value, this "laureate head" hundred francs is not common. During the 1862-70 period of issue, only 97,210 were minted at Paris and Strasbourg together (compared to 346,000 "bare head" 100 francs and 85 million "laureate head" twenty francs).
Recorded mintage: 1,517[2] (a better date but not as rare as the mintage suggests).
Specification: 32.26 g, 0.900 fine gold, 35 mm diameter, edge lettered DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE, designed by Albert-Desiré Barré (1818-78), this specimen 32.27 g.
Catalog reference: Gadoury 1136. Schl. 322. Fr-580, F.551/5.
- 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.
- 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.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
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