France 1974 5 francs
This specimen is a common date of a type struck at the Paris mint for France 1970-76, 1978, 1987 and 1990-95. Other dates exist but are only available from FDC sets. The mint's attempt to circulate a silver five francs in 1960-65 having proved a failure, the denomination was converted to base metal in 1970. The original Roty design, called La Semeuse, appeared on half, one and two francs of 1898-1920. The second specimen was part of lot 42201 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $19,200. The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE. Gold Piefort Proof Set (10 Pieces), 1974-79. Paris Mint. All NGC Certified. A complete denominational set of gold Piefort issues, including every denomination issued in 1974 as well as a single 1979 2 Francs (as none were issued in 1974). These Piefort issues are elusive and relatively low mintage, with some in the double digits, and as such this presents a RARE opportunity to acquire a complete set. 3) Gold 5 Francs Piefort, 1974. NGC PROOF-65."
Recorded mintage: 26,986,811 plus 107 in gold.
Specification: 10 g, nickel-plated copper-nickel, 29 mm diameter, after a design by Oscar Roty (1846-1911).
Catalog reference: F.341/6, KM 930, KM-P505 (struck in gold); GEM-154.P3.
- 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, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to: