Expert: Brad Swain - 2/9/2010

Question
French - Empire Francais Dix Centimes 1855 with the eagle head turned right with the letter M underneath. The condition is ok with only the outer edge of the coin worn. All lettering and Numbering is good. Can you give me an idea of how many were minted under this lettering? Thanks in anticipation of your comments.

Answer
Hi Phil, There were 11.3 million of these French bronze 10 centimes coins featuring Emperor Napoleon III (1852-70) minted that year at Marseilles (MA). To the left of the date it has either a dog's head or an anchor as the engraver general's mark. The dogs head collector value may be worth about $1 with heavy wear to around $10 with moderate wear to maybe $30 with light wear while the anchor may be worth about .25, $7, $18 in same conditions as listed above.
You might also try a library for a copy of the Standard Catalog of World Coins for pictures, values and lots more interesting info.
Brad