France L'AN8-AA 5 centimes
The numismatics of the bronze coinage of the First Republic of France is complex. For the five centimes, the first issue (An 4-5) was 5 g, 23 mm diameter and was immediately rejected by the populace along with the 10 g décime (ten centimes) and the 20 g double décime (twenty centimes). During An 5, the government tried again with larger coins, increasing the 5 centimes to 10 g and the décime to 20 g and abandoning the double décime. The revised types met with some success and they were issued in substantial numbers until An 9. Leftover stocks of light weight décimes were overstruck into five centimes and double décimes converted into décimes. In all, about 140 million were produced for the type. They circulated until the 1850's and today few are found in Very Fine or better.
During An 8, this type was struck at Paris ("A"), Metz ("AA", shown here), Strasbourg ("BB"), Lyon ("D"), Geneva ("G"), Limoges ("I"), Bordeaux ("K") and Lille ("W"). Paris, Metz, Strasbourg and Lille are common. Numerous varieties exist, including an overdate AN 8/5 and over mintmark AA/A and a rare "CNIQ" error (see the second specimen). The second specimen was lot 71193 in Stack's Bowers June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, June 2026), where it sold for $292.80. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRANCE. Consulate. 5 Centimes, Year 8/5-AA (1799/1800). Metz Mint. PCGS VF-20. Variety with "CNIQ". Somewhat weakly struck and fairly well handled, but still a solid representative of this overdate type. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Patrick Guillard at CICF on 7 April 2000 for $90)."
Recorded mintage: 20,002,258.
Specification: bronze, 10 g, 28 mm diameter, "chevronned" edge, designed by Augustin Dupré (1748-1833).
Catalog reference: F.101/53, KM-640.2; Gad-126a.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction - Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, the Richard Margolis Collection and the Kirk Menczer Collection of Republican Reales Minors, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2026.
Link to:
- AN7-A 5 centimes
- AN7-W 5 centimes
- An 8-A centime
- An 8-BB 5 centimes
- An 8-G 5 centimes
- An 8-W 5 centimes
- An 8-AA décime
- An 8-BB décime
- An 8-I décime
- An 8-K décime
- An 8-W décime
- France L'AN 8-A 2 decimes pattern
- France L'AN 8-A 5 decimes pattern
- An 8-A 5 francs
- An 8-K 5 francs
- L'AN 8-Q 5 francs
- L'AN 8/5-T 5 francs
- L'AN 8-W 5 francs
- Coins and currency dated 1799