French Pretender Coinage

The deterioration of the 3-centime reverse die is quite noticeable over the years that the coin was re-struck. The lower left, around the left-most star, begins to rust first, with the rust spreading throughout the area until the star is pretty much no longer visible and the legend starts to deteriorate.

The change in die state for the 10-centime piece is also rather apparent. As in previous examples, surface erosion becomes more pervasive over the years.






The changes between the last two is the most significant, but is a bit more subtle. Here are a couple of detail enlargements:




Notice the progression of the erosion following the "S" in "FRANÇAIS", around the "M" in "EMPIRE", and between the wreath and the "C" in "CENTs".

Regarding the second example in the top sequence of comparisons, note that the face of the coin retains impressions from the coin that was overstruck with this die. The original coin was apparently a skilling banco, which comes from a series of coins minted in Sweden between 1835 and 1855, which means that this particular example could not have been struck prior to 1835 (though it could have been struck at any time thereafter).

Interesting indeed. Do you know if the skilling banco coins retained their face value after the series ended in 1855? If they were no longer legal tender after 1855 they may simply have been cheap stock for the Napoleon II propaganda re-strikes made later in the 19th Century. If they retained their face value, there might be a greater chance that they were struck by Bonapartists who were resident in Sweden in the mid-1800s.

Although Bernadotte ended up fighting against Napoleon in 1813 and they never reconciled, their quarrel was personal to a surprising degree. Bernadotte was personally offended when Napoleon invaded Swedish Pomerania as a prelude to his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. Despite this personal animosity, however, Bernadotte and his family retained close ties with Napoleon's family. Bernadotte had married Desiree Clary, the sister of Joseph Bonaparte's wife, of course, and their child, Prince Oscar (later Oscar I), was Napoleon's godson. Oscar also married Joséphine, the daughter of Napoleon's step-son, Eugene de Beauharnais, in 1823.

I assume that Bonaparte family members and supporters would probably have been welcome (or at least tolerated) in Sweden in the mid-1800s, so perhaps it served as something of a base for their political pretensions. Perhaps the Napoleon II dies were at least temporarily kept there at the time.

Interesting. Although this particular example could have been struck later, I think it probably dates from around 1835 to 1840 or so. The reason for this is because the reverse field is still pretty much free from evidence of corrosion on the die. Napoleon II coins would have had little propaganda value after the death of Napoleon IV in 1879, so I think it unlikely that any would have been struck after 1879. The coins struck from the more corroded die probably date from the 1870s, so the coins struck from the die before it corroded must date from an earlier time.