Westphalia 1813-C 5 franken
The first specimen was lot 23671 in Heritage sale 3030 (New York, January 2014), where it sold for $1,527.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Westphalia. Hieronymus Napoleon gold 5 Franken 1813-C, MS64 NGC, very sharp with full flashy mint brilliance, highly attractive and elusive in this certified grade." The second specimen was lot 6621 in Künker sale 336 (Osnabruck, Germany, March 2020), where it sold for €650 (about US$851 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"WESTPHALEN, KÖNIGREICH, Hieronymus Napoleon, 1807-1813. 5 Franken 1813, C. GOLD. Vorzüglich. (Germany, kingdom of Westphalia, Jerome Napoleon, 1807-13, five franken of 1813. Extremely fine.)"
This type was struck in Cassel 1813 only. 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. This type preceded the French gold five francs by forty years.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.62 g, 0.900 fine gold, the second specimen 1.61 g.
Catalog reference: KM 125, AKS 32; Divo/S. 220; Fr-3519; Schl. 904.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3030, featuring the RLM Collection, the Isaac Rudman Collection, the Hans Cook Collection and the Collection of Donald E. Bently, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
- [2]Künker Münzauktionen und Goldhandel, Catalog 336: Gold coins from all over the World|German Coins after 1871. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2020.
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