By Chris Chatigny, Cataloger
Present day coin expositions,
including the upcoming August Hong Kong auction, provide a venue for diverse
cultures to come together and for collectors and scholars to discuss a mutual
passion in numismatics and acquire more exceptional pieces for their
collections. These events evoke the spirit of the old time World’s Fair
expositions and this August, Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio is proud to offer a
complete Proof Set from a very famous World Fair held in Paris. The 1889 Exposition Universelle was a momentous
occasion; first and foremost, the Eiffel Tower (which was not entirely
completed but still open to the public) served as the grand entrance arch to
the fair. The event was held during the 100th anniversary of the storming of
the Bastille, traditionally seen as the beginning of the French Revolution. One
of the gathering rooms was a reconstruction of the Bastille and surrounding neighborhood;
this room was used as a ballroom as well. Some famous attendees included Thomas
Edison, Vincent Van Gogh, and the future King Edward VII. The largest diamond
known at that time, the “Imperial Diamond” was on display. One of the major
attractions at this World’s Fair was a “human zoo” or ethnological exposition
of the French overseas empire.
An integral portion of the French
colonial empire was French Indo-China, located in Southeast Asia, and
comprising the modern day countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, French
Indo-China remained under French control until the uprising of Vietnamese
nationalists, culminating in a French withdrawal in 1954. The Paris Mint
commemorated the Exposition Universelle of
1889 by producing a limited six piece Proof coin set to be sold at the fairgrounds.
Only 100 sets were produced and it is extremely rare to find a complete intact
set such as this, especially with the original box so well preserved. The front
cover of the case displays various symbols of the French Republic, including two
cornucopias overflowing with coins. The Fasces, a symbol of power and
jurisdiction throughout the Roman republic and empire and adopted by many later
countries and nations including the U.S., appears in the center of the cover.
The interior of the case is deep blue velvet, with a niche for each of the six
coins. The denominations include a two sapeque, one-cent, ten-cent, twenty-cent,
fifty cent, and the crown sized one piastre. The two sapeque and the one-cent
piece are bronze while the other four are silver. The two-sapeque piece bears
an interesting design, with a square hole cut out of the center, with the date
and “INDO-CHINE FRANCAIS” on the obverse and a Chinese inscription stating the
denomination and colonial title. The one cent piece contains an outer legend
stating: “REPUBLIQUE FRANCAIS” and the date of 1889, with an inner border
dividing it from the main design of Liberty seated, facing left at a quarter
turn holding Fasces. The mintmark “A” denoting Paris appears underneath
Liberty’s throne. The reverse displays a similar outer legend and inner border
type as the obverse, with the central design including a vertical Chinese
inscription and the denominational note of “1” and “C” for one cent. The silver
pieces follow a similar pattern, which includes Liberty seated with the Fasces.
The obverse shows an upper legend of “REPUBLIQUE FRANCAIS” separated by Liberty
seated with the Fasces, with the date and the inscriber’s last name of BARRE
located beneath. The reverse type showcases “INDO-CHINE FRANCAIS” along the
outer border, with a wreath separating it from the denomination placed in the
center with the “A” Paris mintmark below.
The fact that this set has
remained in such exquisite condition over the past 124 years is remarkable.
With a cursory examination it becomes clear that these coins remained
undisturbed in their blue velvet case for many years where they attained very
natural and extremely pleasing toning. The bronze pieces are a choice red and
brown. The reverse of the ten-cent piece and the obverse of the twenty-cent
piece are slightly darker than the other pieces. The overall toning is
beautiful golden red with the obverse of the fifty-cent piece displaying the
most striking and largest area of toning. The entire set is quite attractive
and most of the pieces received a Proof 65 grade from NGC, with one NGC Proof
64 and one NGC Proof 63. These six pieces and their original box can remind
coin enthusiasts of historic World’s Fairs, and the cultural exchange that they
brought. This legacy is continued with our modern international numismatic
shows and auctions, including our Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio August Hong Kong auction,
which contains an impressive and wonderful variety of numismatic treasures.
Look for this and other Asian
numismatic rarities in our upcoming August Hong Kong Sale. Preview these
impressive coins along with the rest of our auction this August at the Stack’s
Bowers and Ponterio office located in Irvine California. For details please
refer to the Auction Schedule/Details link under Current Auctions at
www.StacksBowers.com. To schedule an appointment, please call 800.566.2580.
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