France 1970 5 francs
The first specimen was lot 20164 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (Newport Beach, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $7,200. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Gold 5 Francs Piefort, 1970. Paris Mint. NGC PROOF-68. The single finest graded of this beautifully designed and highly elusive issue at NGC. From the Naples Bay Collection." The first specimen is a gold piedfort struck for collectors and insiders. The regular issue is a common date of a type struck at the Paris mint 1970-2001. Some of the later dates, such as 1979-86, 1988-90, 1996-2001, are only available from FDC sets. The second specimen was lot 23134 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $1,140. The catalog description[2] noted, "FRANCE. Nickel 5 Francs Essai (Pattern), 1970. Paris Mint. NGC MS-69. Incredibly shimmering and alluring, this dazzling, nearly-flawless specimen presents a razor sharp strike and radiant luster that is seemingly off the charts. A RARE pattern issue, with just one other at this ultimate top spot in the NGC census."
Recorded mintage: 57,900,000 plus 100 struck in gold.
Specification: 10 g, nickel-plated copper-nickel, 29 mm diameter, after a design by Oscar Roty (1846-1911).
Catalog reference: F.341/2, KM 926a.1, KM-P410 (gold). The second specimen is KM-P408; Gad-154.13.
- 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.
- Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2021 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Oro del Nuevo Mundo and Matt Orsini Collections, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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