France 1943 10 francs Maz-2658b

Heritage sale 61352, part of lot 22418

image courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

This specimen was lot 22418 in Heritage sale 61352 (Dallas, December 2023), where it sold for $264. The catalog description^[1] noted, "France: Republic aluminum Specimen Essai 10 Francs 1943 SP65 PCGS, Paris mint. A spectacular WWII-era French pattern with an obverse portrait of Philippe Petain by Bazor." The bust on the obverse of this pattern was taken from the copper-nickel five francs of 1941, which was struck but never released. This pattern is known in copper-nickel (KM E86). It is likely that material shortages and Nazi interference doomed the project.

Recorded mintage: limonite.

Specification: aluminum, designed by Lucien Bazor.

Catalog reference: KM-E86a, Maz-2658b.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2023 December 10 Spotlight: France World Coins Showcase Auction #61352, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auctions, 2023.

Link to:

• 1941 5 francs, Petain
• 1943 10 centimes
• 1943 20 centimes, zinc
• 1943-B 50 centimes
• 1943 franc
• 1943 2 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1943