2 Sols - Crowned C ND (1779-1797) front 2 Sols - Crowned C ND (1779-1797) back
2 Sols - Crowned C ND (1779-1797) photo
© Ginger (CC BY-NC)

2 Sols - Crowned C ND

 
Billon (.208 silver) 2 g 23 mm
Description
Issuer
French West Indies (Overseas France)
King
Louis XVI (1774-1792)
Period
First Republic (1792-1804)
Type
Standard circulation coin
Years
1779-1797
Value
2 Sols (0.1)
Currency
Livre tournois (781-1795)
Composition
Billon (.208 silver)
Weight
2 g
Diameter
23 mm
Shape
Round
Demonetized
Yes
Updated
2024-10-04
References
Numista
N#7571
Rarity index
58%

Reverse

Blank, these coins being uniface.

Edge

Plain

Comment

In order to be adopted by the population, "coinage had to be silvered in the French American colonies, even a little, i.e., in billon, which explains the success of all kinds of “marked sols.” The government understood this when he decided, in 1763, to mark with a simple crowned C, meaning “French Colonies,” and not Cayenne. For planchets, they used all those “sol marqués” produced since 1738 that were too worn to circulate in France, to make savings. This process was called “estampage,” hence the nickname of “sol tampé” in French and “stamped sol” in English. The success, in a French America reduced to the West Indies after the Treaty of Paris, was instant. To such a point that new ones had to be made on new blanks from 1780 onwards —the first shipment was reserved for newly-settled Guyana. Meanwhile, the British made considerable quantities of counterfeit in brass during the wars of the Revolution (1797–1798)."
Source: Jérôme Jambu, 2022. "French Coins in America or French American Coins? (and which America?)". The American Numismatic Society Pocket Change. https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/jambu/

Interesting fact

One interesting fact about the 2 Sols - Crowned C ND (1779-1797) coin from French West Indies (Overseas France) is that it was made of Billon, which is an alloy of silver and copper. Specifically, the coin contains 20.8% silver and 79.2% copper, making it a unique blend of metals. This blend was used to create a coin that was both durable and had a lower intrinsic value than a coin made entirely of silver, which was a valuable resource at the time.

Price

Date Mintage VG F VF XF AU UNC
ND (1779-1797)  3000000 - - - - - -

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 2 Sols - Crowned C ND (1779-1797) coin.