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Find complete articles on the latest discoveries and useful tutorials to start or deepen your knowledge of numismatics.

A variant for the essay of 1/2 Franc HENRI V

It is a glaring variant but that a lot of people hadn't seen but that a lot of people hadn't seen. This variant is submitted by Sylvain D. Indeed he noticed that on the tests of 1833, the F in the field in the middle is small or large. I noticed in my turn, that the die with the large F always displays a point after the date, which is not the case with the die with the small F. In addition, the date seems slightly larger when the F is tall. The reverses are exactly the same.

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10 Centime 1900 Dupuis blank very thick

Here is today a new coin that I present to you and which still comes from the collection of Mr. Sylvain D. The coin that we will discover is a 10 cents of the year 1900, type Dupuis. Let's analyze together this coin and the research path before reaching a conclusion.

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Discovery of the dots on the 1/10 ecu of Louis XVI (obverse of 1/2 gold Louis)

Nous le savons, une seule série d'une monnaie royale couvrant 10 ans de frappe, peut avoir plus de 50 lignes. Les ateliers; les points indiquant les semestre, variantes de poids, variantes de légende... Heureusement, c'est sur une série pauvre en variante, que j'ai trouvé quelque chose pouvant amuser les collectionneurs.

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Comment identifier les différentes tailles des lettres A et K pour le type CERES

 There are in all 3 sizes of letters for the mint of Paris (letter A): small, normal and high. However, it is possible that one names small by: very small; normal will also be named medium. This is due to the fact that the punches used to mark the mint letter on the die, are more or less small. For example it will be very small if the letter is engraved with a punch used for cents, on a corner for a 2 francs. The final visual will give the impression of having a ''very small'' letter. I also think that name is given to help people understand what we are talking about. Because people who referenced these variants knew well that it is very difficult to see the difference between normal and small. Because sometimes even the punch '' normal '' is already itself small. One way to say '' imagine a tiny letter ''.

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Explication et position des fruits et raisins sur les 50 centimes MORLON bronze-aluminium

  Si vous avez du mal à voir ou comprendre les variantes ''avec fruit et raisin''...''sans fruit et avec raisin''..., cet article est pour vous. Tout d'abord, de quoi parle-on précisement? Il existe plusieurs coins différents. Et avec des combinaisons connues qui les différencient. Les coins sont les des morceaux de métal gravés en creux et qui servent à imprimer les monnaies en relief lors de la frappe. Il y a donc toujours un coin d'avers et un coin de revers. Ici, seul le coin d'avers contient des changements que je vais vous détailler ci-dessous:

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5 cents Napoleon of 1856, minted in Brass !

Another curiosity that my friend Sylvain.D presented to me. A five-cent Napoleon III for the year 1856, minted in Lyon and in brass.

  The color is yellow and there is no doubt, it is brass. After analysis, I think this coin is official. Everything fits, including the reverse die which shows us a right star a little crushed down, common to all the coins of 1856. There is, for me, no element who permit to doubt about the l authenticity of this coin. The diameter is the same as an official coin and the weight is 4.95 grs, therefore quite good, since the coin is worn and the theoretical weight is 5 grams for a bronze coin. The difference in mass between brass and bronze is tiny. Of course, everything also depends on the dosage in the mixture of metals. Finally, I note that the edge is smooth, as for current coins.

  The Gadoury, 1989 edition, page 90, tells us that a essai of 5 cents in brass for the same year 1856 is already listed. But it is a coin marked ESSAI instead of CINQ CENTIMES and ZINC CUIVRE NICKEL instead EMPIRE FRANÇAIS. On the reverse, no difference except that the two mint marks are anchors. The indicated weight, is 4.70 grs. But, we have here a coin having exactly the type adopted on current coins. And as I pointed out, with the same obverse die as the current bronze coins! It seems to me, therefore, at this point in the investigation, that this coin is not a essai because nothing indicates it, except the change of metal and it does not appear to my knowledge, any essai to the adopted type of brass in the registers. A brass blank was probably introduced when minting coins for circulation. In any case, we know that this blank was present in the Lyon mint. This might perhaps teach us more about the origin and location of these brass coin.

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1808 1/2 franc-5 francs variant with or without olive

 A few years ago, I discovered the existence or the absence of olives between certain letters for the 5 francs, 1 franc and half franc of the year 1808. These coins are engraved by Pierre - Joseph TIOLIER. So, the engraver who succeeds to Augustin DUPRÉ, known for his variants of large or small oak leaves, with or without acorn, with or without olive. All this, giving multiple combinations. It would, therefore, be logical to imagine the possibility of seeing such variations on coins struck after this period, including by other engravers.

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New estimates serious and realistic

  Quotes are found everywhere, but they are all criticized for the same thing: they are too high! All connoisseurs will tell you and talk about it often. So much so that almost all sellers make their own prices!

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