As a long time collector of Napoleonic Coins the 1807A African Head 2 Franc piece is one of the key coins. Below are two examples - one graded by PCGS and one graded by NGC - anyone want to guess the grades??
Well, the PCGS one I'd wager VF details, cleaned or polished in a way that is unattractive and I would avoid it, key date or not. The NGC coin looks like a high EF, and distinctly more attractive. I don't see luster on this coin, which is why I avoided the AU.
Not knowing the series to well I would go XF 40 details. And the last one XF45 at best, it's a much more acceptable coin.
Not sure why there isn’t much of a response here but maybe a half reveal will create some momentum. The top one is straight graded AU53 and for sale at over $11,000 which is nuts. I wouldn’t have posted this but there hasn’t been any action since Thursday.
Yes, @H8_modern the PCGS is AU53 - I would probably have given it XF details! The NGC one is my coin and AU55 and I didn't pay anywhere near that. Plenty of lustre but just a simple scan - I must really learn how to do coin photography properly
Nice coins. I've never owned any of the earlier 2 francs: they're normally quite scarce. I have had quite my share of the 5 francs: from Napoleon I, III, and IV. I'll go with VF20 on the 1st coin and EF40 on the 2nd piece shown.
I agree the first one is not a desirable piece. I would not consider it either. The second one looks like a nice AU coin. I expect french collectors would call it Superbe. Scarce and desirable and a historic coin. This is how Le Franc catalogue values it: https://www.lefranc.net/monnaie,2-francs-napoleon-empereur-tete-de-negre,253.html
The top one is a problem free AU-53? No way. Not a chance. Be very careful when buying foreign coins in PCGS slabs, is all I'll say.
