French Colonies (1793) 3 sols 9 deniers
This specimen was lot 99307 in Heritage sale 61259 (Dallas, TX, February 2022), where it sold for $372. The catalog description[1] noted, "France: Guadeloupe. Louis XV Counterstamped 3 Sols 9 Deniers ND (1793) AU58 Brown NGC. C/S (UNC Strong). Overstruck on a Paris-minted 12 Deniers of Louis XV dated 1767. At the cusp of Mint State condition, with intensely glossy, chocolate-brown surfaces." This type was countermarked by the new republican regime for the use of the French Colonies in the Caribbean, both to legitimize their use and raise the value by 275%. At that time, the islands were a major source of the world's sugar and were enormously profitable. It seems likely that they were countermarked locally and not in France. In a fit of idealism, the National Assembly abolished slavery in the colonies. When plantation profits (and the tax revenue therefrom) dropped precipitously, Napoleon reinstituted bondage. The former bondsmen in Haiti rose up in revolt in 1804 and drove out the French army, creating the first (and only) successful slave revolt in history.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: bronze.
Catalog reference: KM 1 (listed under Guadeloupe).
- Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, The Long Island Collection of French Coins Showcase Auction #61259, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2022.
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