France 1807-A franc

Ponterio sale 173, lot 1250

laureate head, from the Mountain Groan Collection

The first specimen was lot 1250 in Ponterio sale 173 (New York, January 2013), where it sold for $881. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Franc, 1807-A. 'Negro Head'. Toned. PCGS EF-40 Secure Holder. From the Demarete Collection." In 1807, mint officials felt the need to update the emperor's bust to obtain a more imperial look and issued silver quarter, half, one and two francs coins with the new head. Napoleon rejected the new coins, saying the curly hair made him look like a Negro slave, hence the nickname "Negro head" for this series. The coins were hurriedly redesigned, resulting in two types for 1807, this and the "laureate head." Both are scarce.

Recorded mintage: 99,507 plus 50,303 laureate head.

Specification: 23 mm diameter, 5 grams, 0.900 fine silver, decorated edge. Designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier, 1763-1819.

Catalog reference: F.203/1, KM-681; Gad-445.

Source:

Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[1]Ponterio, Richard, Ponterio Sale 173: The January NYINC 2013 Auction, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2012.

Link to:

France 1807-A franc

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