France 1808-M 10 centimes

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from the Mountain Groan Collection
France 1808M 10 centimes rev 601.jpg
Stack's Bowers September 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 71449
SB925-71449r.jpg

The specimen shown is one of a type struck 1807-10 during the regime of the Emperor Napoleon. This Toulouse mint issue is a common date tho this specimen may be a counterfeit. The obverse looks good but the reverse shows no horizontal stripes in the diagonal bar of the "N". This type is the only billon issue of the decimal series. It failed for the same reason as the billon issues of Louis XV failed: rampant counterfeiting and rejection by the populace. The authors of Le Franc 10[1] note, "Ce type est sans contestation possible le plus falsifié de l'histoire monétaire moderne de la France (This type is without doubt the most counterfeited in the modern history of France)." They comment that one out of three examples seen are fakes but that they are collectible nonetheless. Only high grade specimens show a silver look. Circulated examples show the dark greenish gray typical of base silver coins. The second specimen was lot 71449 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $600. The catalog description[2] noted, "FRANCE. Empire. 10 Centimes, 1808-M. Toulouse Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS MS-62. The finer of just two observed in the PCGS census, and the only such Mint State survivor, this minor offers fairly deep toning across both sides. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Deblain in 1957 for FF 250). Ex: Maison Deblain FPL 167 (2/1957) Lot # 197."

Recorded mintage: 859,842.

Specification: billon (20% silver, 80% copper), 2 g, 18 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: F.130/7, KM-676.8; Gad-190.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
  • [1]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
  • [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.

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