France 1990 10 francs
This specimen was lot 74456 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $1,920. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Trimetallic 10 Francs Piefort, 1990. Paris Mint. NGC PROOF-69 Ultra Cameo. A stunning gold, palladium, and silver piefort. This piece, not listed in KM in piefort form or as a 1990 regular issue, is a companion to the 1988 piefort issue. Attractive mirror surfaces boldly contrasting with frosty devices. In a virtually perfect state of preservation. This is a chance to acquire a stunning showpiece for the piefort collector. RARE." The specimen shown is an example of a type struck 1988-2001. The figure depicted is from a commemorative column in the Place de la Bastille in Paris. This type was extensively counterfeited despite the bimetallic fabric. France began minting euros in 1999.
Recorded mintage: 250,000,000 for circulation plus pieforts.
Specification: KM 964.1: 6.5 g, Bi-Metallic copper-nickel center in brass ring, 23 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: F.375/4, Gad-827, KM 964.1 (circulation issue), KM-P1022 (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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