French Sowers (New pics and purchases)

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by tmoneyeagles, Jun 24, 2010.

  1. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    There has been an "essai" coin minted in 1898 of a 5 Francs featuring a sower, same design as above, in silver (37 mm, 25 gr). Only 75 of them have been struck. A piece of cake ! :bigeyes:

    [​IMG][​IMG]
    Pics from the Hess Divo sale 2005

    Q
     
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  3. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    That one is a little rich for my blood. :) Thanks for posting it.
    I really like the Sower image and was going to try to collect as many as I could but then discovered currency.
     
  4. chrisild

    chrisild Coin Collector

    This "old style sower" is also used, by the way, on the modern Semeuse collector coins. The €10 piece has the same diameter (37 mm) but is a little lighter (22.2 g). The reverse with the sower is always the same http://boutique.monnaiedeparis.fr/i...nnaie/fr_FR/Produits/Recto/10041263380000.jpg while the obverse varies from year to year. Mintage max. 10,000 - should be affordable. :) But of course those are not >100 years old ...

    Christian
     
  5. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    I never seem to remember about that series coin until it's too late and is no longer available. I've also been threatening to buy the 2004 Sower 20€ 31mm gold coin. I don't understand why it's still available when the others almost always sell out right away. BTW, during the past month the price increased from 440€ non VAT to 750€.

    http://boutique.monnaiedeparis.com/...at&CatalogCategoryID=pifZEzvyXrcAAAEkHQ8MnPar
     
  6. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    Sure but the effect is not the same....at all IMO

    Q
     
  7. Dave M

    Dave M Francophiliac

    A few for your currency collection.... These are French Chamber of Commerce (local) issues during WWI:

    Cahors:
    [​IMG]

    Paris:
    [​IMG]

    Roche sur Yon:
    [​IMG]

    Dave
     
  8. midas1

    midas1 Exalted Member

    Very sweet, I need to add some French currency to my collection.
     
  9. financeman

    financeman Lincoln Cent Connoisseur

    I dont know what you are talking about. I think your pictures are awesome. Those coins have some great toining. I wish I could take some pictures as good as the ones you posted. Great coins and congrats on getting them
     
  10. tmoneyeagles

    tmoneyeagles Indian Buffalo Gatherer

    Thanks a million!
    I tried taking pics of the same coins last night, but couldn't do any better than what I had here!

    And Dave, those notes are beautiful, I feel like getting a few of those!
     
  11. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Just thought I'd give this old thread a bump with some of my own Sowers & suçh that I reçently pulled 'Outta the Vault'... although being modern coins, they don't quite have anything on TeeMonnaie's toned Sowers.

    I hope you enjoy this little show:


    French Postage - 25 centimes with Sower motif:

    [​IMG]



    Rep. Francaise: 5c - 25c Postage with Sower motif:

    [​IMG]



    Republique Française - 1972 1/2 Franc:

    [​IMG]



    Republique Française - 1977 1 Franc:

    [​IMG]



    Republique Française - 1984 5 centimes, 1978 10 centimes & 1963 20 centimes:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Dave M

    Dave M Francophiliac

    Krispy, thanks for adding to this thread. The various places this Semeuse shows up are quite varied. I'm adding three stamps to the thread, I hope you don't mind :)

    The 50c is the Semeuse Fond Ligné (lined background)

    s1.jpg
    The 2c green is a Semeuse Camee or "fond plein" (Cameo, or solid background)

    [​IMG] s3.jpg

    This last one is an essay, France never (until modern times I think a "retro" stamp used this design) issued a 50/50 Sower like this.

    s2a.jpg

    Note that like French banknotes, the artist (Oscar Roty) name appears in the lower left margin, and the engraver (Eugene Mouchon) in the lower right. For a time, France used the terms INV and SC to denote artist and engraver as they do on banknotes, but removed them for lack of space.

    Dave
     
  13. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Those are fantastic Dave!

    Would you happen to have any idea of Series dates on those postage stamps you posted, or any idea of the range of those I posted earlier.

    Most of my stamps were handed down to me when I was much younger and I never researched nor collected stamps much. I do know that the page I scanned is quite aged, and so many of those are likely from canceled correspondences in the first quarter or half of the twentieth century. Thanx!
     
  14. Dave M

    Dave M Francophiliac

    The sower issues are quite likely the longest-lasting definitive series of French postage. The first one, 10c red Semeuse Lignee, was issued in 1903, and the last (50c aqua Semeuse Lignee) was retired in 1939. After that, there were a few miserable definitives issued during the war years, and then after the war France started its wonderful series of Marianne stamps, with a new stamp design every decade or so. Those continue to this day.

    Dave
     
  15. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Thanks. That's about what I might have thought the range to be based on the page I scanned. I just wasn't sure if they preceded the 1900s.

    Did France ever issue Semeuse / Sower postage in any of their colonies?
     
  16. tmoneyeagles

    tmoneyeagles Indian Buffalo Gatherer

    I don't have a copy stand. Got two halogen lights, a white piece of paper, and a crappy point and shoot camera! :D

    That is a wonderful Matte Proof! I've had my eyes on the Matte Proofs, in the smaller denominations, and I believe the 1 Franc's in PF62 go around $300 or so.
    What were the mintages numbers on the 1 Franc Matte Proofs?

    Chris,
    Those are some very nice coins, along with those stamps! I must say, now I might be dipping into some stamps for my collection! :eek:
    Great post Chris!
     
  17. rzage

    rzage What Goes Around Comes Around .

    T$ beautiful toners worthy of your collections , love this design as I'll put her up against , dare I say the St. Gaudens ,
    rzage
     
  18. Dave M

    Dave M Francophiliac

    They did, but only as overprints on the French stamps. So you'd find a Sower with "INDOCHINE" printed on it, for example.

    Dave
     
  19. Dave M

    Dave M Francophiliac

    Oh man, that's amazing.... I love the detail you can see in that.

    Dave
     
  20. De Orc

    De Orc Well-Known Member

    Lovely colour on them :thumb:
     
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