France 1995 500 francs Fr-630a
This specimen was lot 72088 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $504. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Platinum 75 Ecus, 1995. Paris Mint. NGC PROOF-69 Ultra Cameo. APtW: 0.6424 oz. An architectural commemorative, this example resides at the precipice of perfection, offering immense mirrored brilliance in the vast fields along with intense frosting upon the devices." Starting in the 1980's, the Paris mint issued so many NCLT's that the standard catalogs had to drop them to keep the books a manageable size. This NCLT honors the Parthenon in Athens. It is dual denominated in francs and ecus (European Currency Units), a proposed currency that later became the euro. Other 500 francs struck in 1995 include KM 1078, 1079, 1082, 1083, 1086, 1087, 1090, 1091, 1094, 1095, 1098, 1099, 1102, 1103, 1106, 1107, 1110, 1111, 1117, 1135, 1137, 1311, 1312, 1313, 1314, 1499, 1546, 1547 and KM 1950.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 20 g, 0.999 fine platinum.
Catalog reference: Fr-630A; KM-1941.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Featuring the Richard Elliott Collection of Hooknecks, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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