France 1806-K 1/4 franc

from Jean Elsen sale 132, lot 860

This specimen was lot 860 in Jean Elsen sale 132 (Brussels, March 2017), where it sold for €140 (about US$177 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[2] noted,

"FRANCE, Napoléon Ier (1804-1814), AR quart de franc, 1806K, Bordeaux. 4359 p. frappées. Rare. Beau à Très Beau. (empire of France, Napoleon I, silver quarter franc of 1806, Bordeaux mint. Rare, fine to very fine.)"

This tiny coin was struck at Bordeaux, under the régime of the emperor Napoleon. It is a rare date of a short-lived type (1806-07) that remains very scarce today. 1806 marks the return to AD dating after a ten year experiment of using the revolutionary calendar (AN 4-14) which set 1789 as year 1.

The quarter-francs of Napoleon ran thru a number of types, none of which are common (catalog numbers taken from Le Franc 10):

F.157: Bonaparte Premier Consul (AN 12 only, 323,000 struck for the type)
F.158: Napoleon Emperor, revolutionary calendar (AN 12-14, 519,000 struck for the type)
F.159: Napoleon Emperor, Gregorian calendar (1806-07, this type, 112,000 struck)
F.160: Napoleon Emperor, "Negro head" (1807A only, 41,000 struck)
F.161: Napoleon Emperor, laureate head, "République Française" on reverse (1807-08, 23,000 struck for the type)
F.162: Napoleon Emperor, laureate head, "Empire Français" on reverse (1809A only, 34,000 struck for the type)

Recorded mintage: 4,341^[1].

Specification: 1.25 g, 0.900 fine silver, 15 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Gad-347, F.159/3, KM 670.3.

Source:

Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
^[2]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 132, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2017.

Link to:

France 1806-K 1/4 franc

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