I recently came into possession of a very nice collection of French Colonial Aluminum coins from the 1940s-1970s. As they are not my interest area or specialty, I will likely end up parting with them. However, I thought I'd post a few photos of the nicer pieces on the forum in case there were any experts in the type who could elaborate on grade, value, etc. I know the guides have these as relatively low value coins, but some in this collection are in just plain stunning condition. There are over 50 coins total in the collection. Here are a couple photos to get started:
I love those big French aluminum coins. I am particularly fond of the 2 French Somaliland coins since I have been a Somali linguist since 2012 and have been to French Somaliland (aka Djbouti) a few times in the last few years
I love all of these coins too. Strangely they almost always are in uncirculated condition so that's not as rare as you might think. I've sold a lot of them over the years, usually for around $2.50 apiece. Of course some are more common than others, and you don't see the higher denominations as much, like the New Caledonia 5 francs.
Were they issued for circulation or as commemorative mint sets? That might explain the UNC frequency. Aluminum isn't exactly durable, after all. I suppose their value might be doomed by whatever strange force it is that dooms the value of most french coins...
I don't know what the story is or why they tend to be in such good shape. As you say normally aluminum coins don't look so good after they've been used and the climate in most of these places is not advantageous. I will say that I mostly find the 1 franc coins so the higher denominations could be worth more, and there might be certain ones that would have higher value. I'd be curious what else you have. Are all the coins different? You said you'll likely get rid of them. If you think of it, shoot me a message when you do. I might be interested.
Nice set. I don't think the Chad 100 francs is aluminum and is not a common coin. Also look for a 1978 "EMPIRE CENTRAFRICAIN" 100 francs in the batch. That one was not supposed to released for circulation, but they can be found with signs of heavy circulation. Uncirculated lists for $500.00 in Krause.
I did see that the Chad coins were more rare and carried a bit more value. There are two in the collection (1972 and 1975). As for the very rare Central Africa 100 franc...no such luck, though there are a few C.A. 50/25 francs from 1975
