France: bronze essai (5-centimes pattern by Barre) of Louis Phillipe I, 1840

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020.

?

How interesting/appealing do you find this item, whether or not you're an expert? (1=worst, 10=best)

  1. 10

    2 vote(s)
    14.3%

  2. 9

    4 vote(s)
    28.6%

  3. 8

    5 vote(s)
    35.7%

  4. 7

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  5. 6

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  6. 5

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%

  7. 4

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  8. 3

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  9. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  10. 1

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
Page 1 of 2
  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    France: bronze essai (5-centimes pattern by Barre) of Louis Phillipe I, 1840
    Essai-frame.png
    Obverse: LOUIS PHILIPPE I ROI DES FRANÇAIS, laureate bust left. "BARRE 1840" below truncation.
    Reverse: REFONTE DES MONNAIES DE CUIVRE / 5 / CENT. / ESSAI; denomination within wreath.
    Issuer: Louis Phillipe I, King of France (1830-1848).
    Specifications: Bronze, 27.5 mm, 7.5 g, coin alignment, smooth edge. Paris mint.
    Grade: NGC MS65, cert. #586901-036.
    Reference: Numista-71848, Guilloteau-2917, Mazard-1145, Gadoury-145a.
    Provenance: gift from Josh Zachman ("kazuma78" on CoinTalk), 20 November 2020. Prior provenance to the Stacks-Bowers Galleries February 2020 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Lot 70482.*
    Notes: French essai coins were patterns; not issued for circulation, but rather as presentation pieces for proposed designs. A large variety of essais were issued in the 1840s in particular, and many are have amazing and elaborate designs. This one is a bit simpler and similar to designs on circulating coinage of the time. It was engraved and signed by Jacques-Jean Barre (1793-1855), the general engraver of the Paris mint from 1842 to 1855, whose two sons succeeded him in that position.
    Comments: This coin has really stunning blue-green iridescence and reflective fields which are visible at certain angles to the light. In that respect, it resembles an even more amazing 1848 essai I once owned. Unfortunately, the Stacks-Bowers images used here are less than ideal, having been shot through the slightly scuffed plastic of the NGC slab. They do it no justice. I hope to have this reimaged and reholdered eventually.

    Essai-frame.png

    Essai-black.png

    Essai-gradient.png

    Essai-white.png

    Essai-coinscape.png

    Essai-obv.png

    Essai-rev.png

    Essai-slab.png

    Essai-toning.jpeg

    000000S
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2021
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #1 + Quote Reply
    Curtisimo, Cucumbor, Bradley Trotter and 6 others like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    I like the toning and gave it a relatively high score of 9.
     
    ddddd, Dec 11, 2020
    #2 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    This surprise gift from @kazuma78 is by far my favorite present I've gotten during the 2020 holiday season, and is likely to remain so, though I am posting this well before Christmas.

    It is not the first time Josh has been overly generous with me. He previously gave me a nice Red BU 1909-VDB cent from an original roll saved in 1909 by his great-grandfather Leroy D. Zachman (1884-1974), a Marion, Ohio banker, whose signature appears on currency notes of the time.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #3 + Quote Reply
    ddddd likes this.
  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    It's really hard to see the toning in these photographs, so it's not quite fair to this coin that most of the votes in the poll will probably happen before I get it reimaged.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #4 + Quote Reply
    ddddd likes this.
  6. Coinsandmedals

    Coinsandmedals Well-Known Member

    Although I find the design intriguing, the toning is what captures my attention. I love the look of natural blue-toned copper/bronze.
     
    Coinsandmedals, Dec 11, 2020
    #5 + Quote Reply
    kazuma78 and lordmarcovan like this.
  7. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    I found it difficult to image also because of the case and reflective surfaces, but its really stunning in hand specifically because of the toning and reflective surfaces. It really is quite a pretty coin. This would be an excellent one to make a gif of in motion. Here are some stills I took from a video of it which show some of the toning and reflectivity. P.s. I suck at coin photography.
    20201211_121749.jpg 20201211_121828.jpg 20201211_121812.jpg
     
    kazuma78, Dec 11, 2020
    #6 + Quote Reply
    Curtisimo, Coinsandmedals, Robidoux Pass and 2 others like this.
  8. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Thank you for posting those. You see my feeble attempt in the final image above.

    I got the colors to pop (that’s an untweaked image), but like you, I was bedeviled by the slab reflections, so the circular glare of my ring lamp was in the way.

    I too suck at coin photography, but I’ve improved a little in recent months.

    I’ll send this one back to NGC for their PhotoVision and reholdering.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #7 + Quote Reply
    ddddd and kazuma78 like this.
  9. Robidoux Pass

    Robidoux Pass Well-Known Member

    Congratulations. That is indeed a beautiful coin and worthy of praise. I gave it a 10 but I'm a sucker for earlier French coins as I collect them.

    My hat's off to kazuma78 -- must be a very kind person.
     
    Robidoux Pass, Dec 11, 2020
    #8 + Quote Reply
    ddddd and lordmarcovan like this.
  10. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Indeed. I’ll bet he will have out-Santa-ed Santa this year, when all is said and done. ;)
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #9 + Quote Reply
    ddddd likes this.
  11. brg5658

    brg5658 Supporter! Supporter

    Gorgeous coin! I love Essai issues, and this one is superb!
     
    brg5658, Dec 11, 2020
    #10 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan and ddddd like this.
  12. Lilyisgreat_893

    Lilyisgreat_893 New Member

    This is a very good coin. But I would LOVE to know what year it was made in.
     
    Lilyisgreat_893, Dec 11, 2020
    #11 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  13. Lilyisgreat_893

    Lilyisgreat_893 New Member

    This is an update. 1840!?! Wow, that would go in for $35 or less!
     
    Lilyisgreat_893, Dec 11, 2020
    #12 + Quote Reply
  14. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Guess again. ;)
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #13 + Quote Reply
  15. ddddd

    ddddd Member

    Maybe they were guessing the amount of the grading fees at NGC? Standard is $35 and Economy is $22. That's the only thing that could possibly make sense to me.
     
    ddddd, Dec 11, 2020
    #14 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
  16. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Thank you. I consider your comment high praise, because I’ve seen what sort of things you collect.

    My last essai was nicer - but it cost me $336.45.

    6441DD30-4DEF-4F00-9A55-F70791B90461.png
    https://www.pcgs.com/cert/33997478/

    The one above is almost as nice, and it cost me $0.00. You might say the price was right. ;)
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #15 + Quote Reply
    Curtisimo, The Eidolon, ddddd and 2 others like this.
  17. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Could be. But I’ll just be paying for PhotoVision and reholdering at NGC, not regrading.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #16 + Quote Reply
    ddddd likes this.
  18. Coinsandmedals

    Coinsandmedals Well-Known Member

    The French pattern pieces of this era usually catch my eye, and more often than not, they are beautifully toned. If I had unlimited funds, I might consider a "side collection" of them. Does anyone know why these pieces seem to have such a propensity to tone (e.g., "original packaging", solution treatment after striking, etc.)?
     
    Coinsandmedals, Dec 11, 2020
    #17 + Quote Reply
    kazuma78 and lordmarcovan like this.
  19. Coinsandmedals

    Coinsandmedals Well-Known Member

    I was under the impression that the coin would have to be regraded as the guarantee is likely expired (it's limited to 10 years for copper, bronze, brass, and copper-plated coins). Wouldn't reholdering the coin technically renew the guarantee?
     
    Coinsandmedals, Dec 11, 2020
    #18 + Quote Reply
  20. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Hm. Dunno. Guess I'll find out.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 11, 2020
    #19 + Quote Reply
    Coinsandmedals likes this.
  21. Coinsandmedals

    Coinsandmedals Well-Known Member

    Please let me know what you find out! I have a handful of coins that need to be reholdered, but I have not done so because I assumed I would have to pay for them to be regraded. Some of them legitimately look like game-used NHL hockey pucks. :facepalm:

    Also, I really like the look of that 10 Centimes piece!
     
    Coinsandmedals, Dec 11, 2020
    #20 + Quote Reply
    lordmarcovan likes this.
7 more messages...
Page 1 of 2
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page