France 1937 10 francs

Jean Elsen sale 121, lot 1238

This specimen was lot 1238 in Jean Elsen sale 121 (Brussels, June 2014), where it sold for €80 (about US$128 including buyers' fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Troisième République (1871-1940), AR 10 francs, 1937, Type Turin. Rare. Très Beau. (France, third republic (1871-1940), silver ten francs of 1937, rare, very fine.)"

This specimen is a common date of a series struck 1929-39. All 234 million were struck at the Paris mint without mintmark. Most dates are readily available; the 1937 date is rare. This type was an attempt by the Poincaré government of France to revive the silver écu but at a realistic level after the ravages of the inflation of World War One. The face value of the old franc Germinal was 0.222 franc/gram of silver; this coin prices silver at 1.47 francs/gram. It was officially demonetized in 1945 but ceased to circulate during the German occupation. The design was revived 1945-49 by the Fourth Republic as a copper-nickel coin.

Recorded mintage: 52,268.

Specification: 10 g, .680 fine silver, 28 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Pierre Turin (1891-1968).

Catalog reference: Gad-801, F.360/8, KM 878.

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• 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.
• ^[1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 121, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2014.

Link to:

• 1934 10 francs
• 1937 2 francs
• 1937 5 francs
• 1937 20 francs "Turin"
• 1938 10 francs
• 1973 10 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1937