Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;willieboyd2, post: 1075399, member: 4910&quot;]I found this interesting reference to coins in a 1950&#039;s mystery novel,</p><p>the story is set in 1950 in the French Riviera.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two men, Coco and John, are watching a house.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Coco)</p><p>&quot;I&#039;ve been sweating silver five-franc pieces wondering if you could make it&quot;,</p><p>he whispered. </p><p>&quot;<i>Merde alors</i>, I would have conked the girl if she had sold you, John.</p><p>What did you tell her?&quot;</p><p>(John)</p><p>&quot;Everything&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>From <i>To Catch A Thief</i> by David Dodge, published 1951.</p><p><br /></p><p>France minted silver five-franc coins for most of the 19th century,</p><p>they were about the same size and weight as United States silver dollars.</p><p>A smaller version was minted in the early 1960&#039;s.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_france_f05_1831d.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>France silver five francs 1831-D (Lyons)</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_france_f05_1873.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>France silver five francs 1873</p><p><br /></p><p>By the 1930&#039;s inflation had forced the coins to be made from cheaper metals:</p><p><img src="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_france_f05_1940.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>France aluminum-bronze five francs 1940</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.brianrxm.com/posts/post_france_f05_1964.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>France silver five francs 1964</p><p><br /></p><p>Apparently the old five-franc coins were a fond memory to French people</p><p>in the early 1950&#039;s, as silver dollars are a fond memory to Americans.</p><p><br /></p><p>David Dodge was an accountant before he became a writer, and there are</p><p>many references to foreign exchange in the book.&nbsp; A French 10 franc</p><p>coin also appears (worth US 3¢ then)</p><p><br /></p><p>If the book&#039;s title is familiar, the book was made into a movie in 1955,</p><p>starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.</p><p><br /></p><p>More information on David Dodge:</p><p><a href="http://www.david-dodge.com" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.david-dodge.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.david-dodge.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in