2 years ago I'd have negotiated for a bought this

Hyperion

'cause this is the kind of weird stuff I buy




awesome repurposed french coinage. I could repost my "origin" story if anyone is interested.

love the hole

love the fact the planchet split under pressure.

so.
cool.
and unique as it is.

probably at 2 time real value on ebay (of course). not mine, not affiliated. if you buy it dont taunt me with it.

JCMhouston

That's pretty cool actually.

Hyperion

historically, from A descriptive catalogue of Swiss coins in the South Kensington Museum By Victoria and Albert Museum

repost


Link 1

FRENCH ECUS OF LOUIS XV AND XVI COUN TERMARKED BY CANTON BERN AS THALERS 257 Louis XV 1770 == In conlequence of the introduction at the beginning of the prel ent century of the new fyftem of coinage in France the old French Ecu was thrown out of circulation in that country It had already circulated largely in weftern Switzerland and efpe cially in the Canton Bern which had little heavy filver money of its own and here it was not given up There was however fuch a mafs of nibbed down and light money that the government of Bern had to take precautionary meafures to proteft itfelf and the public It therefore decreed in 1813 that every fuch Thaler weighing at k iii 542 grains mould be taken at 39 Batzen and the lighter pieces put out of circulation whence it refulted that at every counting each coin had to be weighed at much coll of time and labour To avoid this it was further decreed on ind July 1816 that every French Thaler of fix livres which came into the treafury as well as the Helvetian Thaler weighing 545 grains or more hould be taken to the mint that it might be ftamped with the countermark of the Canton Bern and provided with a new cordon or rim fo as to obtain a good large filver currency and at once to know the heavy Ecus from the light Private perfons were allowed to bring their Ecus to be ftamped and receive the cordon at the coft of one Rappen per piece This expedient anfwered for fome years the light coins were lent back to France and the heavy remained in circulation in Switzerland But the filverfmiths of Bern and the watchmakers of Geneva foon found that they could obtain no better and more ferviceable 84 Catalogue of Swifs Coins able filver than thole lamped Thalers which thus in the roiirfe of a few years went into he crucible fo that their number was diminifhed until in 1844 but few were to be found From July 1816 to the fame time 1819 660,000 fuch Thaler were lamped and had a legal value of five Swifs Frank or 40 Batzen apiece See Lohner p 49

AuroraRarities

Interesting history. That's neat stuff!

lordmarcovan

Very cool, indeed.

Bjorn

There are often coins like this - there was a really striking double struck French 5 centimes directory-era piece that sold years ago that I wish I had bought... by the time I saw it on an old dealer's site it was long gone.

TwoKopeiki

Lots of history and character - what's not to like!?

ormandh

Someone ruined it with graffiti!


That is cool! If that coin could talk it probably would tell a great story of it's journey through the eras.....