Luxembourg 1914 2 francs KM-E30
This specimen was lot 999 in Steve Album Auction 52 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2025), where it sold for $390. The catalog description[1] noted, "LUXEMBOURG: Marie-Adelaïde, 1912-1919, AR 2 francs, 1914, Essai at right side of obverse, Brussels Mint trial strike in silver, a fantastic reflective specimen state example! PCGS graded Specimen 66. This type, together with the 1914 50 centimes (Essai) and 2 francs (Essai), are the only pieces representing the portrait of Marie-Adelaïde. She became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg following the death of her father Guillaume IV in 1912. After the first world war, she abdicated in 1919 under pressure from the Luxembourg parliament in favor of her younger sister Charlotte. The Luxembourg population reproached her for too much involvement in the country's political affairs and having maintained relations with Germany." In August 1914, German troops invaded and occupied Luxembourg and Belgium, ending any chance that this coin (and the accompanying 50 centimes and franc) would go into production.
Recorded mintage: 3,000.
Specification: 9.0 g, 0.900 fine silver, 25.1 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-E30.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Dustin Wagner, Auction 52, featuring the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection and the Almer H. Orr III Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2025.
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