France 1972 franc
This specimen was lot 42270 in Stack's Bowers Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction (Pittsburgh, September 2026), where it sold for $6,100. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Gold Franc Piefort, 1972. Paris Mint. PCGS SPECIMEN-69. A RARE gold Piefort issue hailing from a scant mintage of 75 pieces, approaching flawless quality and tied with a mere four other pieces as finest certified by PCGS. From the Charles “Cheech” Litman Collection." This specimen is a common date of a type struck at the Paris mint for France 1960-2001. Some of the later dates after 1978 are only available from FDC sets. The original Roty design, called La Semeuse, appeared on half, one and two francs of 1898-1920. Gold pieforts are known for 1960, 1968 and 1971-85.
Recorded mintage: 48,265,000 in nickel plus 250 nickel pieforts plus 150 silver pieforts plus 75 gold pieforts.
Specification: regular issue: 6 g, nickel, 24 mm diameter; nickel piefort: 12 g; silver piefort: 13.7 g, 0.925 fine silver; gold piefort: 24.5 g, 0.920 fine gold, AGW: 0.7099 oz.
Catalog reference: regular issue KM 925.1, F.226/17; gold piefort KM-P454.
- 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, Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2026.
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