France 1881-A 2 francs

from the Mountain Groan Collection

This specimen is a fairly common date of a series struck 1870-95 during the Third Republic of France. This "Cérès head" design is a revival of a type struck 1849-51 during the Second Republic. It was superseded by the "Semeuse" type of 1898-1920. It was officially withdrawn from circulation in 1928 and demonetized in 2005 but ceased to circulate after World War One.

Recorded mintage: 1,014,000.

Specification: 10 g, 0.835 fine silver, 27 mm diameter, reeded edge, revival of a design by Eugéne André Oudiné (1810-87).

Catalog reference: F.265/12, Gad-530a, KM 817.1.

Source:

• 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.
• Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.

Link to:

• 1873-A 2 francs
• 1881-A 5 centimes
• 1881-A 50 centimes
• 1881-A franc
• 1881-A 100 francs
• 1887-A 2 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1881