1712-AA French Colonies 15 Deniers, or Demi-Mousquetaire. Metz Mint. Vlack-13b. XXX Error. Rarity-7 (actually Rarity-8). AU-58 (PCGS). <p>French Colonies in America. 1712-AA 15 Deniers or Demi-Mousquetaire. Metz Mint. Vlack-13b. XXX error. Rarity-7 (actually Rarity-8). AU-58 (PCGS). 18.6 grains. The pride and joy of Syd’s collection of this material, this piece brought a staggering $23,500 as lot 31 in the 2006 Ford XIII sale. Perhaps the most notable die engraving error in the whole realm of early American numismatics, this piece is entirely misdenominated, with the reverse die engraved XXX DENIERS instead of the proper XV DENIERS. Just three of these are thought to be known, of which Ford’s (though probably discovered first) was the second one auctioned. The final example discovered was first offered in 2020. In something of a departure of our usual cataloging practice, we reprint below the first known auction description of this variety, from Paul Bosco’s landmark 18th sale of August 1997. No cataloger before Paul, nor any after him, will match his style or panache. (Note: the Bosco description is of the other known specimen but is included here because of its correctness and historical value.)<p><p><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p>“1712-AA. 1/2-Mousketaire of XXX Deniers. Type missing from the Redbooks. Excessively rare.<p><p><p>“Designs exactly as the full Mousketaire, but size and planchet of the XV-Denier Half Mousketaire. Presumably the die-cutter, who would have engraved more XXX-Denier dies than dies for the scarcer XV-Denier type, suffered a lapse of attention. As 1712 is not the first date for the XV-Denier, and as the coin is well-used, a die-cutter’s error seems a far more likely explanation than pattern/trial status, and it stretches credibility to suggest an attempt at revaluing these billon coins, which circulated heavily in both the colonies and metropolitan France.<p><p><p>“Nonetheless, the eyes do not lie, and here we have a coin smaller than, and half the eight of, the known coins bearing the denomination — a new type. That it probably owes its existence to the drowsiness (or tipsiness) of a mint worker reduces its importance and likely its value, but it still belongs in a U.S. Colonials collection.<p><p><p>“Although not listed in the first Gadoury-Droulers catalog of 1610-1789 French coins (by date & mintmark), Droulers’ subsequent independent catalog included it, probably based on an appearance in a French dealer’s fixed price list (from the ‘30s?) It was unknown to Robert Vlack, who has studied this area more than probably anyone, until he saw this coin, and Breen did not know it.<p><p><p>“I forgot to photograph this lot, but I’ve shown it to people for the entire 15 years it’s taken me to get around to auctioning it, so everyone has seen it, or will by the end of ANA. If you collect colonials and aren’t coming to ANA in New York, please be advised that New York is where most colonials were made, imported, or circulated, and today we have the best zoo in the hemisphere.<p><p><p>“Prospective bidders should bear in mind that whatever number this important coin brings, it will be a bargain; if I had any brains I’d’ve given this coin to Bowers, where it’d realize twice as much.”</blockquote><p><p><p>Syd viewed that specimen in 1997 but did not buy it. He mentioned it in his inventory when he acquired the lot below (the XV over XXX error) as an explanatory note of how that related variety, which Syd discovered, could exist. <p><p><blockquote style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p>“Note: There is a piece that is definitely a 15 deniers (in size), but marked "XXX DENIERS"; though probably an error, it can be considered another variety. It is thought to be unique; it sold at auction for $4100 (Paul J. Bosco, Auction #18, 4 August 1997. Lot 702). It has a date of 1712-AA, and grades VG-F. SFM saw this coin at the 1997 ANA, and inspected it -- it appears absolutely correct.” </blockquote><p><p><p>Years after the 1997 Bosco sale, and after his 1998 discovery of the XV over XXX variety, Syd watched this coin sell to Tony Terranova in the Ford XIII sale. By then, it had been included in the Vlack reference, listed as Rarity-7 even though there appear to be just two. When Syd acquired Tony’s French Colonies collection in 2008, he finally acquired this coin. It’s the finest example by nearly 20 points, widely surpassing the NGC EF-40 in the Heritage August 2020 world sale, with good luster in protected areas and displaying a blend of lively light silver gray and more mellowed deep gray. The planchet is lightly striated and granular, but it’s quite attractive. A bit of spotting is noted on the reverse. Both sides are well centered and boldly detailed, and the error denomination is crisp and complete.<p><p><div>This example’s return to auction represents an important opportunity for collectors of important early American rarities, as this coin’s desirability exceeds the narrow confines of the French Colonial specialty. PCGS# 905860. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex John J. Ford, Jr. Collection; our (Stack’s) sale of the John J. Ford Jr. Collection, Part XIII, January 2006, lot 31; ex Anthony Terranova Collection; John Agre and Dave Wnuck (Coin Rarities Online), via Mike Wierzba, January 2008.
