France 1866-A 20 centimes

Goldberg sale 78, lot 3014

This specimen was lot 3014 in Goldberg sale 78 (Los Angeles, January 2014), where it sold for $70.50. The catalog description^[1] noted, "France. 20 Centimes, 1866-A. Napoleon III. Laureate head left. Toned. NGC graded MS-64." This tiny coin was struck at Paris under the régime of Napoleon III, emperor of France (1852-70). It is the common date of a type struck 1864-66. This type is distinguished from the earlier type (F.148) of 1853-63 by the presence of a laurel wreath on the emperor's head. In 1867-68, the diameter was enlarged to 16 mm, after which the denomination was abandoned until 1941. Unlike previous types, the fineness was only .835. It was demonetized in 1918. The catalog^[2] notes six dates for the type, with only the 1864-K being rare.

Recorded mintage: 1,459,921^[2].

Specification: 1 g, 0.835 fine silver, 15 mm diameter, reeded edge. It was designed by Albert-Desiré Barre, 1818-1879.

Catalog reference: F.149/4, KM-805.1; Gad-308.

Source:

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, 2013.
^[1]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Yifu Che and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg sale 78: the pre-Long Beach Auction, Ancient and World Coins, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, 2014.

Link to:

France 1866-A 20 centimes

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