1670-A French Colonies 5 Sols. Paris Mint. Martin 2-G. Lecompte-186, W-11605, Breen-256. AU-55 (PCGS). A remarkably high grade example, with nearly intact cartwheel luster on both sides over frosty opalescent gray surfaces. The obverse is awash in blue toning highlights, the reverse shows more silver-gold with pastel peripheries. The centering and strike are superb on both sides, even at the usually soft central reverse, and no adjustment marks are visible. A little batch of marks are well hidden at and off the forehead of the obverse portrait, but otherwise this piece has a neat and well preserved look. The overall visual appeal is excellent.<p><p>The reverse die is significantly broken and buckled, demonstrative of Martin Die State 2, for which this coin is the plate coin. Heavy buckling is seen in the right reverse field, and a major die crack connects the letters along the base of the reverse.<p><p>Martin recorded five examples from these dies, making it one of the more common die marriages he described. This is tied for finest with an AU in the Victoria Museum of Melbourne, Australia (a testament to how hard Syd looked for examples of this type). <p> PCGS# 905845. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex John Agre and Dave Wnuck (Coin Rarities Online), March 2010.
