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France - 1800

Banque de France

Obverse
Obverse:
Minerve et la Fortune
Legend:
LA SAGESSE FIXE LA FORTUNE
Exergue:
D
Size:
36 mm.
Reverse
Reverse:
Légende dans uns couronne de chêne et de laurier.
Legend:
BANQUE DE FRANCE AN VIII

Vern's Comments:

From information I've received from a friend I'm changing this identification to Bramsen (#28) Thanks David!
The essence of his info is this:
Dumarest (the artist) signed in full on Bramsen #29 but used only his first initial on 28. He died young. The obituary in "Le Moniteur" contained remarks about his troubles with the medal mint: they often broke his dies when hardening them, and he had to remake one five times! There are varieties of several of his pieces because of mint accidents.
 
... Like many of the others, this is a 'jeton de presence'. In token payment to members of boards of directors and such they were given these jettons when they attended meetings. For this reason the jettons were struck in silver or (rarely) in gold. Bronze copies were (and still are) sold by the mint.
This jeton is a restrike from the 1846-1860 period. At the time I purchased it I didn't know the significance of the edge marks.

Bramsen:

To be researched

d'Essling:

d'Essling - 826
Banque de France (Dumarest).
Minerve et la Fortune.
R. Légende dans une couronne de chêne et de laurier.
(TN 76.3 — B. 29). Arg. octog. 32 mm. 5 p. (2 var.)