French Indochina 1902-A piastre

from Stack's Bowers October 2020 Collector's Choice sale, lot 71479

This specimen was lot 71479 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, October 2020), where it sold for $110. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRENCH INDO-CHINA. Piastre, 1902-A. Paris Mint. NGC Unc Details--Harshly Cleaned. Impressively mark free with significant hairlines in the fields on both sides." This piastre is one of a type issued for French Indo-China during 1895-1922. The coin was intended to compete with various trade dollars from the Straits Settlements, India, Mexico and the United States. French Indochina was occupied by the Japanese in 1940. French attempts to reoccupy the area after World War Two were challenged by Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, leading to French defeat and withdrawal in 1954. The colony was divided into Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Recorded mintage: 3,327,000.

Specification: 27 g, 0.900 fine silver, .781 troy oz ASW, designed by Barré.

Catalog reference: KM-5a.1.

Sources:

• Gadoury, Victor, and George Cousinié, Monnaies Coloniales Françaises, 1670-1988, 2me Éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 1988.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The October 2020 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.

Link to:

• 1901-A piastre
• 1902 2 sapeque
• 1902 20 cents
• 1903 piastre
• Coins and currency dated 1902