France 1866-BB 50 francs

Heritage sale 3040, lot 29698

from the Stack's Bowers 2018 Collector's Choice sale, lot 70512

The first specimen was lot 29698 in Heritage sale 3040 (Chicago, April 2015), where it sold for $1,410. The catalog description^[2] noted, "Napoleon III gold 50 Francs 1866-BB MS63 NGC, Strasbourg mint. A rich golden example with few marks and a touch of natural pebbly texture within Napoleon's bust. Among the finest certified." This specimen was lot 70512 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, May 2018), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description^[3] noted, "FRANCE. 50 Franc, 1866-BB. Strasbourg Mint. PCGS MS-62. Mintage of only 17,000 pieces. Sharply struck and lustrous with just a light veneer of tone." This type was struck 1862-68 at Paris and Strasbourg, superseding the previous "bare head" fifty francs of Napoleon III. Most specimens trade for a little more than their bullion value. This is a common date.

Recorded mintage: 17,307^[1].

Specification: 16.13 g, 0.900 fine gold., 28 mm diameter, edge lettered DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE.

Catalog reference: Gad-1112. Schl. 336. Fr-582; F.548/7, KM 804.2.

Source:

Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
^[2]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage Signature Auction 3040, featuring the Santa Maria, the Alan Dean and the Valley View Life Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
^[3]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The May 2018 Collector's Choice Sale, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.

Link to:

France 1866-BB 50 francs

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