France 1941 20 centimes

from the Stack's Bowers 2018 Collector's Choice sale, lot 70520

This specimen was lot 70520 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, May 2018), where it did not sell. The catalog description^[2] noted, "FRANCE. 20 Centimes, 1941. NGC MS-65. Reverse states '20 CENTIMES'. About as lustrous as a zinc coin can get. Sharply struck, lightly toned and quite attractive." This coin is very common in circulated condition but hard to find choice. It was struck by the Vichy regime as Nazi soldiers roamed France, looking for loot and Jews. The issue of twenty centimes ceased in 1946, not to resume until 1962 with the new franc.

Recorded mintage: 54,044,000 (including F.152 "VINGT")^[1].

Specification: 24 mm, 3.5 g, zinc.

Catalog reference: F.153/2, KM-900.1; Gad-321.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
• ^[2]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The May 2018 Collector's Choice Sale, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.

Link to:

• 1941 VINGT centimes
• 1941 10 centimes, Lindauer
• 1941 10 centimes, Vichy
• 1941 50 centimes, bronze
• 1941 franc, bronze
• 1941 2 francs, aluminum-bronze, Morlon head
• 1941 5 francs, Petain
• Coins and currency dated 1941