France 1901 10 francs
This specimen was lot 911 in Jean Elsen sale 132 (Brussels, March 2017), where it sold for €100 (about US$127 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Troisième République (1871-1940), AV 10 francs, 1901. Très Beau à Superbe. (France, third republic (1871-1940), gold ten francs of 1901. Very fine to extremely fine.)"
This specimen is one of a series struck 1899-1901 and 1905-14 during the Third Republic. All are products of the Paris mint. Unlike the similar twenty francs, this coin was minted in smaller numbers and was never restruck. As a consequence, it is not seen nearly as often as its larger sister. However, none of the dates are rare except for the matte proofs of 1899 and 1900. This date is common but slightly better than the 1914.
Recorded mintage: 2,100,001[2].
Specification: 3.22 g, 0.900 fine gold, 19 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain (1839-1909).
Catalog reference: Gad-1017; Fr-597, F.509/5.
- 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.
- [2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies. Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 132, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2017.
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