I'm going today to look at a 1870 5 franc someone has for sale. Ngc has two listing's for the 1870 5 franc, one significantly higher priced than the other. The more valuable one it shows is the Hercules group one, and the other it doesn't show photo or good description. Is it a totally different design? Or just mint mark? One is bb and the other mint mark is A.
Not sure but I think that the Hercules design was not used in 1870. The 5 francs should feature Napoleon III (monarchy) or the Céres head (republic) ... Christian
Could well be. Here is a list, from a major French dealer, with a range from €25 (about $33) to €1,800 (about $2,400): http://www.cgbfr.com/boutique,modernes.html Click on Face Values and select 5 Francs (the 1604 refers to the number of items), then Dates and select 1870. Both the mintmark (A is Paris, BB is Strasbourg) and the grade or condition will influence the value or price of a coin. Christian
Thanks. From what it looks like, there are two different designs,. The napoleon and the Ceres. Ngc is showing the Hercules group for 1870 also. What was the reason for the monarchy and republic coins both overlapping dates in 1870? Was it a transition year?
