The New York Sale
Auction 49 15 Jan 2020
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France
Third Republic (1871-1940). Gold 50 Francs, 1878-A (Paris). Genius writing on tablet. Rev. Value and date within wreath (Fr 591; KM 831; Gad 1113). In NGC holder graded AU 53. Value $1,200 - UP
In 1871 the Second French Empire collapsed under the weight of the defeat and capture of Napoleon III. In the face of this debacle the French National Assembly deposed the Emperor and in 1875 established a provisional government known as the Third Republic. Under the French Constitutional Laws of 1875, the new republic was to include an elected president, a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The early years of the Third republic were dominated by calls to restore the monarchy yet again, but republicanism won out. By the end of the 1880s it was fairly clear that the Third Republic would stand as a viable state in its own right rather than as a temporary measure waiting for a new revolution or the return of the Ancien Regime in one form or another. It was destined to survive intact until the German invasion of France and the creation of the puppet Vichy government in 1940. Ironically, while the political character of the Third Republic was generally moderate, the present 50-franc pieces look back to the much more extreme days of the French Revolution in their choice of obverse type.
Third Republic (1871-1940). Gold 50 Francs, 1878-A (Paris). Genius writing on tablet. Rev. Value and date within wreath (Fr 591; KM 831; Gad 1113). In NGC holder graded AU 53. Value $1,200 - UP
In 1871 the Second French Empire collapsed under the weight of the defeat and capture of Napoleon III. In the face of this debacle the French National Assembly deposed the Emperor and in 1875 established a provisional government known as the Third Republic. Under the French Constitutional Laws of 1875, the new republic was to include an elected president, a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The early years of the Third republic were dominated by calls to restore the monarchy yet again, but republicanism won out. By the end of the 1880s it was fairly clear that the Third Republic would stand as a viable state in its own right rather than as a temporary measure waiting for a new revolution or the return of the Ancien Regime in one form or another. It was destined to survive intact until the German invasion of France and the creation of the puppet Vichy government in 1940. Ironically, while the political character of the Third Republic was generally moderate, the present 50-franc pieces look back to the much more extreme days of the French Revolution in their choice of obverse type.