1767-A Sou 1793 "RF" Counterstamp, BN MS(PCGS#158637)

Winter 2022 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1143

等级

VF25BN

价格

40,679

详细说明

Spectacular Double Struck 1767-A Sou With 1793 RF Counterstamp 1767-A (1793) French Colonies Sou. Paris Mint. Breen-701. RF Counterstamp--Double Struck--VF-25 (PCGS). 183.8 grains. Nice medium brown with contrasting darker verdigris around the protected areas. A magnificent misstrike, with the second strike rotated roughly 45 degrees and off-center about 50% to 3 o’clock. A few scattered marks are seen, none serious. Major errors on this series are very unusual — we recall well-centered double strikes before that look like little more than chatter, and some off-centers exist (one of which was in Partrick), but this piece is very special. It is interesting to note that the counterstamping was accomplished on the second strike, not at the center of the primary strike. Additional information pertaining to this lot: The French Colonies Sous of 1767 and 1793 In October 1766, French authorities authorized a new copper issue, a sou worth 12 deniers intended to circulate in all French colonies. The good news for collectors is that enough were struck (some 1.6 million pieces) that they can be easily found today. The bad news is the state of the French empire in 1767. By the time these coins were struck, France didn't control an acre of North America. In the West Indies, Guadeloupe was their main colonial possession, along with the islands of St. Lucia, Martinique, and a few others. There's no evidence to suggest any consideration to sending these coins to their few remaining territorials in Africa or beyond. Breen estimated (on unknown authority) that 98% of the original mintage was counterstamped RF in 1793 to designate it for circulation in Guadeloupe. That number seems aggressive, but it underscores the point: these pieces apparently didn't get very far in 1767, and the vast majority of the mintage was either still in Paris or recalled to be marked and circulated decades later. Based on the evidence we have, this is a coin of the French West Indies, with little more relevance to North America than to any other West Indian coin of the second half of the 18th century. Of course, it is still dramatic, historic, and important, struck for a unique economy with a vital relationship with the British colonies of North America - important enough that these coins undoubtedly arrived on American shores. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Merena’s) auction of June 2010, lot 30. PCGS# E158637. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.