France 1808-B 1/2 franc

Stack's Bowers September 2025 Collectors Choice sale, lot 71420

This specimen was lot 71420 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it sold for $312. The catalog description^[1] noted, "FRANCE. Empire. Demi Franc (1/2 Franc), 1808-B. Rouen Mint. Napoleon I. PCGS Genuine--Cleaned, AU Details. Very lightly cleaned, this enticing minor presents a deep and attractive level of cabinet toning. Meanwhile, the sense of circulation is extremely minimal, with extensive die clashing noted across both sides. From the Richard Margolis Collection (acquired from Stu Witham on 8 September 1970)." This type was struck 1807-08 in France with sixteen different date-mintmark combinations, of which the 1808-A is the most common.

Recorded mintage: 558,710^[2], a fairly common date.

Specification: 2.5 g, 0.900 fine silver, 18 mm diameter, plain edge. Designed by Pierre Joseph Tiolier, 1763-1819.

Catalog reference: F.177/3, KM-680.2; Gad-398.

Sources:

Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
^[2]Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
^[1]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.

Link to:

France 1808-B 1/2 franc

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