France 1889-A 10 francs

photo courtesy Bowers & Merena

This diminutive coin is a rare gold piece of the modern French series. Thirty pieces were struck for the Universal Exposition of 1878 and one hundred more for the Universal Exposition of 1889. All are proofs and none were issued for circulation. More were issued for circulation in 1896 and 1899; these are readily available for collectors. See also the very rare five francs d'or.

Recorded mintage: 100 pieces.

Specification: 3.23 g, 0.900 fine gold, 19 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Louis Merley (1815-1883).

Catalog reference: F.508/2, KM 830, Gad-1016; Fr-593.

Source:

• 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.
• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
• Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc VIII: Les Monnaies. Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2009.

Link to:

• 1878-A 10 francs
• 1889-A centime
• 1889-A 2 centimes
• 1889-A 5 centimes
• 1889-A 10 centimes
• 1889-A 50 centimes
• 1889-A franc
• 1889-A gold 5 francs
• 1889-A 20 francs
• 1889-A 50 francs
• 1889-A 100 francs
• 1899-A 10 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1889
• return to French ten francs, 1850-2001