France 1869-BB 50 centimes
This dime-sized coin was struck at Paris under the régime of Napoleon III (1852-70). It is a rare date of a type struck in France 1864-69. This type is distinguished from the earlier type (F.187) of 1853-63 by the presence of a laurel wreath on the emperor's head. Unlike previous types, the fineness was only .835. It was demonetized in 1918. The catalog[1] notes 17 dates for the type; this date is rare, priced[1] about ten times the common date (1864A, 1867A and 1867BB). We have included this specimen, despite its conspicuous solder mark, because we have never seen another.
Recorded mintage: 1,800,000.
Specification: 2.5 g, 0.835 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, reeded edge. It was designed by Albert-Desiré Barre, 1818-1879.
Catalog reference: F.188/18, KM 814.2.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
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