France 1810-MA 1/2 franc

Stack's Bowers 2025 NYINC sale, lot 34192

This specimen was lot 34192 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Empire. Demi-Franc (1/2 Franc), 1810-MA. Marseille Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS MS-64. One of the RAREST mints for the date, this KEY presents mostly pale gray surfaces with some alluring hints of cabernet across the reverse. Some elegant brilliance radiates from the fields, and a few scattered adjustment marks are most easily overlooked on account of the elevated state of preservation. The only example of the date and mint in the PCGS census. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Spink & Son in Zurich on 19 October 1984 for $280)." This type was struck in France at numerous mints 1809-14 and a complete set comprises 64 dates and mintmarks. This date from the Marseille mint is somewhat rare.

Recorded mintage: 10,478^[2].

Specification: 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, reeded edge. Designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier, 1763-1819.

Catalog reference: KM-691.11; Gad-399; F.178/19.

Source:

Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
^[1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2025 NYINC Showcase Auction, featuring the Richard Margolis Collection, Part III, and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.

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France 1810-MA 1/2 franc

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