hi- I have found a coin dated 1731 the markings say Republique Francaise- ok so far so good, so france or a french colony, the reverse side says the following indo chine (ok so its probably vietnam or laos)- it also says piastre de commerce and then 'titre 0.900.poids 27gr' can any one tell me more about this coin? oh by the way it is in vf condition
1731? France wasn't in Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) until the mid-1800s. I found a 1921 French Indo-China One Piastre (KM 5a.2 or 5a.3 depending on mintmark) that matches "piastre de commerce and then 'titre 0.900.poids 27gr'". Earlier Piastres weighed slightly more, later weighed slightly less than 27gr. My 2003 Krause lists it at $12.50 regardless of mintmark in VF. Mintmark if present is the letter H (Heaton Mint - Birmingham, England)
Welcome to the forum dco. Can you post a picture? As Bohica pointed out, except for the date it matches the description of KM#5a. The legend means that it is .900 fine silver, and weighs 27g., which is within the range of coins known as Silver Crowns, that circulated throughout the Far East in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. KM#5a.1 was minted from 1901-28, and has an "A" (Paris Central Mint) mintmark. Values in VF are listed at $12-15 in the 2005 32d Ed. Krause. KM#5a.2 was minted in 1921-22 without a mint mark, and is valued at $20-30 in VF. KM#5a.3 was minted in 1921-22 with the "H" mintmark, valued in VF at $12.50-20.
Thank you for your response and information- Yes i was slightly baffled myself- a quick search of some www sites didn't bring up any hits. Please excuse my ignorance but could you explain what KM 5a.2 or 5a.3 mean? Can I assume a 2003 Krause is a catologue of some kind? The mintmark (if I'm looking in the right place) is an 'A'? Once again thank you- hopefully more can be known about this coin soon.
The Standard Catalog of World Coins by Chester Krause & Clifford Mishler ("Krause") is a four volume set of large city telephone book-size catalogs covering the period from 1601-present. "KM#s" are the catalog numbers assigned by the publisher to every listed coin, using a separate number series for each country. For some coins Krause also uses Yoeman (Y#}, Craig (C#) and other standardized IDs that had been assigned by catalogers before Krause came along. If you've found an "A" standing alone and not part of any legend, you've found the mintmark for the Paris Central Mint.
Thank you for the response - I will attemp to post a picture- I'm not sure how to I guess I'll figure it out hopefully soon....Ok great I know it was minted in France (it has the 'A' mint mark)....regarding the dates...its very clearly dated 1731???...can anyone tell me how to post a photo? thanks
Thank you very much...out of curiosity how much does one of these KM catalogues cost and where can I get one from,,,,,Im in Australia, Gday
A complete set of new ones runs a couple hundred US dollars, and shipping down under would add quite a bit. Used copies are often available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, etc. You might find an Australian source with your favorite search engine. Many US libararies have reference copies, and perhaps you could find one at an Aussie library. You can find out more about all their publications by clicking > here <. Unless you're into older coins, the 19th Century and 20/21st Century volumes are probably all you need. Maybe one of our Australian or New Zealand members can give you some guidance on locating them. Good luck
OK- im stoked, Ive finally figured out how to add a photo attachment thanks to all that assisted this weary traveller....now that the photo is up can anyone tell me more about this coin....so far I know 1. it is a 1731 Piastre Indo Chinese French coin 2. fine silver .900 and weighs 27 grams 3. Minted in Central Paris Mint hence the 'A' mark 4. Probably what is called a Silver Crown, that circulated throughout the Far East in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. 5. ????? According to Bohica 'France wasn't in Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) until the mid-1800s.' so what have I found here??? Is it rare? worth anything? Thanks guys/gals This forum is great! I can't believe how helpful satootoko and bohica have been for you both.
Well I'm not real sure what you got there - but you need to read the previous comments a little closer. You see - that coin was NOT struck in 1731. The design was not even used until 1879 and that was for a pattern coin - and a Proof. So - that date being there tells me the coin is not genuine. It may be a replica of some sort for sale to tourists - or it may just be a fake. I would suggest that you weigh the coin and measure the diameter.
Thanks again for the info The coin weighs 26 grams on very cheap scale digital scale and has a diameter of 38-39mm- i can't believe it's a fake! I thought i had found myself something quite nice-oh well the thrill was great while it lasted! Think i might have to start looking for more coins now.....this could be addictive...lol
I'm perhaps a bit rusty with my world history, but in 1731 wouldn't France be a monarchy under Louis XV, and not a republic? The first french revolution didn't come until 1789 or so. So "Republique Francaise" and 1731 do not go together that well.
The Date 1731 Is A Forgery The French rule in Vietnam , Laos , Cambodia begun in 1858. Coins of theat rule exist since 1860. The "Piastre de Commerce" has even later date for the first issue (1885 ?). and a weight of 27.15 Grams. I have the piastre of the year 1903. (27 G. , 0.900) ...
Could the "Indo Chine" be a country-of-manufacture legend, in French? A little coin manufactured in, say, Indonesia, and sold in tourist shops in France? I normally think of Indochina as referring to a general region, but does Indo Chine perhaps refer to a specific country in French?
My two cents... fantasy coinage produced in China. I would not call it a fake, as a fake would have been intended to deceive. Were the maker intending to "defraud" collectors they likely would have produced a cast copy of an actual coin without changing anything. In this case, instead they have produced a coin with a false date and in all likelihood, a reverse and obverse that do not actually go together. This is not at all uncommon and these types of coins have been produced in China for a long time, and are still produced to this day.
I googled your coin & came up with this article which may help: http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/French.intro.html This may well be a genuine coin minted for export to colonies; Louisiana,West Indies,Indo China(Indochine) Good luck.
Yes they did strike coins for use in the colonies - but none of them had the designs or legends found on this coin.
analyse help me! Tôi có 1 đồng tiền xu trên 2 mặt của nó có ghi thế này " REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE" và " INDO CHINE FRANCAISE. TITRE 0.900 POIDS 27GR" có đề năm 1625. Nếu bạn nào biết về chúng xin phân tích giúp tôi. Xin cảm ơn ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- J'ai une pièce de cuivre sur les deux faces de ce disque qu'il est "République Française" et "Indo Chine Française. TITRE 0900 Poids 27GR" est soumise en 1625. Si vous ne savez sur eux s'il vous plaît m'aider à analyser. Merci! --------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a copper coin on two sides of this record it is "Republique Francaise" and "INDO Chine Francaise. TITRE 0900 Poids 27GR" is subject in 1625. If you do know about them please help me analyze. Thanks!
