Westphalia 1809-C 20 franken
This specimen was lot 239 in Sincona sale 46 (Zürich, May 2018), where it sold for 575 CHF (about US$690 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"Westfalen, Königreich, Hieronymus Napoleon, 1807-1813. 20 Franken 1809 C, Kassel. Fast sehr schön. Kleiner Schrötlingsfehler. (kingdom of Westphalia, Jerome Napoleon, 1807-13, twenty franks of 1809, Cassel mint. About very fine, Minor flan defect.)"
This type was struck in Hamburg and Cassel 1808-13. Jerome, Napoleon's brother, served him faithfully, stripping his domain of men and money for the Russian campaign. The kingdom collapsed after the battle of Leipzig. At the Congress of Vienna, the area was restored to its former lords, Hannover and Prussia.
Recorded mintage: 9,104.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, this specimen 6.39 g.
Catalog reference: Divo/S. 218. Schl. 899. Fr-3517, KM 103.
- Craig, William D., Germanic Coinages: Charlemagne through Wilhelm II, Mountain View, CA: 1954.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Auction 46, Gold Coins and Medals, Zürich: Sincona AG, 2018.
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