France 1815-B 5 francs Dav-85
The first specimen was lot 1697 in Jean Elsen sale 143 (Brussels, December 2019), where it sold for €300 (about US$392 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"FRANCE, Napoléon Ier, période des Cent-Jours (1815), AR 5 francs, 1815B, Rouen. Rare Petits coups. Très Beau. (France, first empire, Napoleon I, Hundred Days (1815), silver five francs, Rouen mint. Rare, minor nicks, Very Fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 99247 in Heritage sale 61259 (Dallas, TX, February 2022), where it sold for $5,160. The catalog description[2] noted, "France: Napoleon "Hundred Days" 5 Francs 1815-B AU58 NGC, Rouen mint. With a substantially smaller mintage than the more frequently encountered Paris-minted '100 Days' 5 Francs, the present offering remains atop this conditionally challenging issue. Showcasing a lavender-tinged charcoal patina accented by silhouettes of cobalt and limited by only the most trivial evidence of handling to Napoleon's fully struck-up laurels. The major grading services confirm this coin's status as the second-finest to date, with a single Mint State specimen above, and will doubtlessly be met with strong bidder enthusiasm." This is a fairly common Napoleonic issue of 1815. Five francs of Louis XVIII also exist for 1815, including an 1815-B, and are quite a bit more available.
Reported Mintage: 93,044[3] + 253,983 for Louis XVIII.
Specification: 25 g, 0.900 fine silver, 37 mm diameter, edge lettered DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE, designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier.
Catalog reference: KM-704.2, Dav-85, Gad-595, F.307A/2.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [3]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies. Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, Vente Publique 143, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S.A., 2019.
- [2]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, The Long Island Collection of French Coins Showcase Auction #61259, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2022.
Link to:
- 1815-BB décime, Louis XVIII
- 1815-A 2 francs "Hundred Days"
- 1815 pattern 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-A 5 francs Louis XVIII
- 1815-I 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-L 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-K 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-M 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-Q 5 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-A 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-I 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-L 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-M 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-Q 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-W 5 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-A 20 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-L 20 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-W 20 francs, "Hundred Days"
- 1815-A 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-B 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-K 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-L 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-Q 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-R 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- 1815-W 20 francs, Louis XVIII
- Coins and currency dated 1815