France 1941 5 francs

Heritage sale 3020, part of lot 23831

from the Mountain Groan Collection

The first specimen was part of lot 23831 in Heritage sale 3020 (Long Beach, September 2012), which sold for $1,645. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Mixed lot of Twenty-Four Coins Spanning Eight Centuries, This is a fascinating grouping of medieval to modern including Deniers of Aquitaine and Blancs of Charles VIII to 5 Francs of Marshall Petain. A Constitutional Ecu of Louis XVI is also included. Average grade is VF, but variation noted." This type was struck by the French Vichy regime in 1941 but never officially issued tho some seem to have circulated. Historians speculate that the Nazis feared to increase the popularity of Marshal Petain, portrayed on this coin.

Recorded mintage: 13,782,000.

Specification: 4 g, copper-nickel, 22 mm diameter, reeded edge.

Catalog reference: KM-901; Gad-764, F.338/1.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
• ^[1]Tucker, Warren, and Cris Bierrenbach, Heritage Signature Auction 3020: World Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2012.

Link to:

• 1940 5 francs
• 1941 10 centimes, Lindauer
• 1941 10 centimes, Vichy
• France 1941 VINGT centimes
• 1941 franc bronze
• 1941 2 francs, aluminum-bronze, Morlon head
• 1943 pattern 10 francs, Petain
• Coins and currency dated 1941