France 1806-L franc

Jean Elsen sale 145, lot 1262

This specimen was lot 1262 in Jean Elsen sale 145 (Brussels, September 2020), where it sold for €320 (about US$456 including buyer's fees). The catalog description^[1] noted,

"FRANCE, Napoléon Ier (1804-1814), AR 1 franc, 1806L, Bayonne. Petites taches. presque Superbe. (empire of France, Napoleon I, 1804-14, silver one franc of 1806, Bayonne mint. Minor stains, about Extremely Fine.)"

This issue, from the Bayonne mint, is the second most common issue of a type struck 1806-07 only. A complete set of this type comprises 19 date and mintmark combinations, all rare except the 1806-A. In 1806 the French revolutionary calendar was dropped and normal AD dating resumed.

Recorded mintage: 252,676, the second most common date after 1806-A.

Specification: 23 mm diameter, 5 grams, .900 fine silver, decorated edge. Designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier, 1763-1819.

Catalog reference: F.302/5, Gad-444, KM 672.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2011, 20me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2011.
• 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]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 145, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2020.

Link to:

• AN14-H franc
• 1806-A ¼ franc
• 1806-K ¼ franc
• 1806-A ½ franc
• 1806-A franc
• 1806-A 2 francs
• 1806-I 2 francs
• 1806-A 5 francs
• 1806-I 5 francs
• 1806-L 5 francs
• 1806-M 5 francs
• 1806-Q 5 francs
• 1806-A 20 francs
• 1806-Q 20 francs
• 1806-U 20 francs
• 1806-W 20 francs
• 1806-A 40 francs
• 1807-A franc
• Coins and currency dated 1806