ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Daderot · Public domain
10 Centimes - Second Republic
France
1848–1851
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$0.13
Based on Copper spot price ($6.07/oz) · 95.0% purity · 10g
Updated 10:08 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | France |
| Years Minted | 1848–1851 |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | 10 g |
| Diameter | 30 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Features the head of a woman symbolizing the Republic facing left, surrounded by the motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ'.
Reverse
Depicts the denomination '10 CENTIMES' in the center, encircled by a wreath, with the date at the bottom.
History & Notable Facts
The 10 Centimes coin of the Second Republic prominently features a Phrygian cap on its obverse, a direct nod to the revolutionary ideals that toppled the monarchy just months earlier.
Struck in bronze at the Paris Mint, it replaced the silver issues of the July Monarchy with a design by engraver Jacques-Jean Barre. The coin's edge bears the inscription "DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE," a holdover from earlier times, though the rest of it shouts republican fervor. We know production ran from 1848 to 1851, but exact mintage numbers? Those records vanished in the administrative chaos of the era.
As for its use, these coins circulated briefly before Napoleon III's regime swept in. Minting on recycled planchets kept costs down, a practical move in uncertain times.
Some call it unassuming; others, overrated. Either way, it's endured longer than the republic it represented.
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