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A strange reason to buy a coin - Napoleon Italy Lucca 5 Franchi 1805 - Seen in a movie

WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,146 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited February 12, 2024 7:54AM in World & Ancient Coins Forum

Several years ago I saw the 1987 film "Black Widow" which was about two women, Debra Winger as an FBI analyst and Theresa Russell as a woman who marries men for their money and then kills them. Debra begins following Theresa hoping to catch her.

Theresa is working on her next target, a wealthy Seattle man who collects coins. She has gotten some coin catalogs from libraries and book stores and is reading them.

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Coin catalog page showing ancient coins
The page is Plate 28 of Carthaginian Gold and Electrum Coins by G.K. Jenkins and R.B. Lewis, published in 1963 by the Royal Numismatic Society of Great Britain.

Theresa meets the Seattle man and when he shows her a coin from his coin collection:

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Seattle man's coin magnified

Theresa tells him that "That's Felice Baciocchi and his sister Elisa."

The coin is a silver 5 Franchi (francs) crown of the Italian Principality of Lucca and Piombino.

Napoleon Bonaparte gave the provinces of Lucca and Piombino to his sister Elisa and her husband Felice Baciocchi in 1805 and the couple held them from 1805 to 1814. These coins were minted from 1805 to 1808.

Well, I had to have one and now I do:

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Italy Lucca and Piombino 5 Franchi 1805
Silver, 37.0 mm, 24.83 gm, minted at Florence

Obverse:
Busts of Felice Baciocchi and Elisa Bonaparte
FELICE ED ELISA PP DI LUCCA E PIOMBINO
(Felice and Elisa Prince and Princess of Lucca and Piombino)

Reverse:
PRINCIPATO DI LUCCA E PIOMBINO 1805
(Principality of Lucca and Piombino)

:)

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Comments

  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,220 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @WillieBoyd2 said:
    Theresa tells him that "That's Felice Baciocchi and his sister Elisa."

    I don't have the broader context of the quoted conversation. Is the "his" there referring to Napoleon, or to Prince Felice?

    Nevertheless, it's impressive to see that much correct numismatic information, about a rather obscure coin, appearing in a movie.

    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD. B)
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