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 Replies: 9 / Views: 938 |
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Pillar of the Community
Portugal
655 Posts |
Dirty coins. The two old Napoleons had unlucky ends, do not know about being dirty  Wanted to ask, have other people noticed that many gold french coins of his era are dirty? Napoleon I, Napoleon III, third republic. I see more often dirt in french coins than in spanish, portuguese or british ones or the same era. Even otherwise well conserved coins. Were the french more keen on burying their treasures in the back yard? It is incrustations of soil I see often, in places like the letters. Or were past collectors in other countries more used to cleaning coins but french collectors and hoarders were not? It may be sampling bias. So I came to ask here if other people notice this. |
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Moderator
 Australia
16817 Posts |
I don't think there's a physical reason - French coinage gold is .900 fine, those other places used 22k (.916 fine), but that tiny difference in fineness shouldn't make a coin significantly dirtier-looking. And I don't think the French coins are more prone to collect dirt, from a design point of view.
As for cultural reasons, I'm not aware of anything in French numismaics, or French culture more generally, that would cause gold coins to accumulate dirt. France has been in several wars since Napoleon I, including one (WWII) where their entire country was over-ran and occupied. That might have caused more than their fair share of coin-burials, as people tried to hide their wealth (or their coin collections) from the Nazis. Any old French gold coins found by the Nazis would have been melted down, so those that survived were either out of the country at the time, or hidden.
That's all I can think of, anyway.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3343 Posts |
I've never noticed that. I've seen a lot that were well circulated but not dirty.
"Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
25108 Posts |
My 1812 20 francs does not appear "dirty", despite what my cruddy pic may suggest.   Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
 Sweden
2124 Posts |
I have several 19th century French gold coins, none of them dirty. Perhaps your coins had a more eventful existence than mine?  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17918 Posts |
I haven't especially noticed that French gold coins are dirtier than others, but I would agree with Sap about many French people hoarding them and maybe burying them during the two World Wars. When I lived in France for two years in the 1970s many old people showed me gold coins they'd had for years. High inflation and a general distrust of banks made many French people convert their savings into gold, even in the 1970s.
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Pillar of the Community
 Portugal
655 Posts |
Quote:
My 1812 20 francs does not appear "dirty", despite what my cruddy pic may suggest. It is like that! I have a Napoleon I and a Napoleon III with that that kind of dirt in the letters. Or even a little more. Have several times been tempted to soak them in distilled water and see if it comes off. Resisted so far. Thank you. It may me me, I am too unused to seeing some dirt in coins that I think of as recent. Less than 200 years France has had an eventful twentieth century. I really think mine have been buried. It felt odd. Only used to see that in ancient or medieval coins. Not the 'moderns'. That is a nice 20fr Napoleon I.  Some dirt or no dirt. They may look more worn than they really are because the engraving was not as good as it used to with other french coins. Edited by jecz79
10/26/2023 8:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts |
Would be nice to see examples to illustrate the points...
I find it a bit hard to believe that French coins are "dirty" based on limited samples...
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
25108 Posts |
Thank you, jecz79! My Napoleon is not dirty, just circulated and > 200 years old.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
Portugal
655 Posts |
Quote:
I find it a bit hard to believe that French coins are "dirty" based on limited samples... Please do not misunderstand. Not calling french money dirty My sample is limited and I was asking other people if they had noticed the same. That they show up more often with dirt around the letters. In the depresssions. It can be because of past use. But sometimes they are uncirculated and also have this dirt. A sample from mine. Small 5 francs coin. I think it had little use. I notice only slight wear in the cheek and numbers. Still it has black earth around the letters. Nearly passed it on as worn before I looked better.  It is as if people there buried coins. Began noticing others since. Perhaps they had a habit of burying their gold. Here I am not used to seeing this dirt. Perhaps here the old coins on sale sometimes were like this also but all have been cleaned already in the past. It should come off easily, it is just black soil. The ones I saw recently like this have been french. Perhaps it is because now everyone says do not clean coins. Newer finds of lost gold no longer get cleaned? |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 938 |
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Posted 10/25/2023 11:15 pm
