French Indochina 1908-A piastre

Heritage sale 3026, lot 24636

formerly in the Mountain Groan Collection

The first specimen was lot 24636 in Heritage sale 3026 (Long Beach, October 2013), where it sold for $528.75. The catalog description^[1] noted, "French Colonial Piastre 1908-A, MS63 PCGS, fully brilliant with attractive champagne patina and minimal contact marks." This piastre is one of a type issued for French Indochina during 1895-1928. 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: 13,986,000.

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

Catalog reference: KM 5a.1, Lec-291.

Source:

• 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]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3026, World & Ancient Coins, featuring the RLM Collection, Part Two, the Nogales Collection and the Goetz Medals Die Archive, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.

Link to:

• 1907 piastre
• 1908 10 cents
• 1909 piastre
• Coins and currency dated 1908
• return to coins of French Indo-China