France 1971 1/2 franc
This specimen was lot 74451 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Gold 1/2 Franc Piefort, 1971. Paris Mint. NGC PROOF-69. Exceedingly vibrant and brilliant, this specimen offers an intense mirrored nature across the entirety of its surfaces." This specimen is a gold piedfort struck for collectors and insiders. Other off-metal strikes were made in silver. The regular issue is a common date of a type struck at the Paris mint 1965-2001. Some of the later dates, such as 1979-82, 1988-90, 1998-99, are only available from FDC sets.
Recorded mintage: 36,068,000 for circulation plus 100 in gold plus more in silver.
Specification: KM 931.1: 4.5 g, nickel, 19.5 mm diameter, after a design by Oscar Roty (1846-1911).
Catalog reference: F.198/10, KM 931.1 (circulation issue), KM P424 (piefort in nickel), KM P425 (piefort in silver), KM-P426 (gold).
- 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, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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