French Indochina 1889-A piastre
This specimen was lot 74409 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $144. The catalog description[1] noted, "FRENCH INDO-CHINA. Piastre, 1889-A. Paris Mint. NGC EF-45. This cooly and originally toned example presents uncommonly well for the assigned grade. A decent strike with fully denticulated borders and bold outline detail to the design elements further enhances this coin's appearance, while some light wear barely hinders detail on the design peaks. A good option for date set specialists to consider." This piastre is one of a type issued for French Indo-China during 1885-95. Piastres issued 1895 and later were reduced in weight to 27 grams and are quite a bit more available. The coin was intended to compete with various trade dollars from the Straits Settlements, India, Mexico and the United States. French Indochina was occupied by the Japanese in 1940. French attempts to reoccupy the area after World War Two were challenged by Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, leading to French defeat and withdrawal in 1954. The colony was divided into Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Recorded mintage: 1,240,000 plus 100 proofs.
Specification: 27.21 g, 0.900 fine silver, 37 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-5; Lec-270.
- Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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