France 185x W 10 Centimes Sedan Satirical Engraving

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by The Eidolon, Feb 10, 2026 at 3:47 PM.

  1. The Eidolon

    The Eidolon Well-Known Member

    Got this recently from a local shop. I'd heard of the "Sedan" satirical carvings mocking Napoleon III's loss to the German Confederation, but this is the first I've seen one
    with the "Prussian helmet" type carving.
    collage copy.jpg
    I think the "1870" date is just punched in for the year of the battle. The original date is
    obscured, but the W mint mark (Lille) I believe was minted 1853-1857.

    I wonder if the coin was carved contemporaneously to the battle, or later.
    The base coins are quite cheap, so if the carved ones were popular, there may have
    been a cottage industry carving them even much later.

    Here's a 2 Francs I got earlier protesting the defeat with punched lettering: Napoleon III 2Fr 1866 "Sedan" copy.jpeg

    And here's an 1807 5 Francs from someone who didn't care for the first Napoleon:
    France Napoleon 5 Francs 1807 copy.jpeg

    Finally here's my only coin issued by Sedan, a double tournois of 1634-38.
    It's a bit worn, but it was a 25 cent junk bin find from many years ago! Sedan Double Tournois 1634-38 copy.jpeg
    Please feel free to post any Napoleon or Sedan related coinage!
     
    JoshuaP and SensibleSal66 like this.
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