Tunisia 1914-A 2 francs
This specimen was lot 1384 in Steve Album Auction 55 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $1,800. The catalog description[1] noted, "TUNISIA: French Colony, AR 2 francs, Paris, 1914/AH1333-A, lightly toned and attractive, mintage of only 303 pieces, rare, a lovely example! PCGS graded MS66, ex The 1914 Collection. Finest graded at NGC and PCGS." This type was struck in AH 1325-1340 in the name of Muhammad al-Nasir Bey. By this point in Tunisian history, the Ottomans had lost influence and France had gained control through debt ownership, making Tunisia a protectorate. Starting in AH 1308/1891 AD, all coins began showing both Arabic and French legends, and the denominations became decimal-based. All minting during the French protectorate period occurred in Paris (mint mark "A").
Recorded mintage: 100,000 dated AH 1332 plus 303 dated AH 1333.
Specifications: 10 g, 0.835 fine silver, 27 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-239, Lecompte-273.
- 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 Hanbing Feng, Auction 55, featuring Selections from the Swamperbob Gurney Collection of Cap & Ray 8 Reales, the Kenneth A. Bovenkamp Collection of Ottoman Coins and the 1914 Collection of World Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2026.
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