1778

FRENCH COLONIES, struck at the Paris Mint, billon 2 sols (24 deniers), Louis XV, 1743, very rare pro

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Shipwreck Coins Start Price:60.00 USD Estimated At:75.00 - 110.00 USD
FRENCH COLONIES, struck at the Paris Mint, billon 2 sols (24 deniers), Louis XV, 1743, very rare pro
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FRENCH COLONIES, struck at the Paris Mint, billon 2 sols (24 deniers), Louis XV, 1743, very rare provenance. Vlack-22; Gad-281; KM-500.29. 2.07 grams. The Vlack reference states: "Specimens examined indicate they were part of a hoard recovered from the French frigate, St Geran, that sunk [sic] during a gale when it struck shoals en route to the Île de France (Mauritius) on August 17, 1744." The story of the St. Geran's sinking includes the tragic death of a young French lady traveling back from France to idyllic Mauritius (then known as Île de France) along with her betrothed, a crew member, her death ostensibly due to a prudish refusal to remove her clothing to keep from drowning, tragically choosing modesty over survival. In 1788 this anecdote became the core of the best-selling novel Paul et Virginie, by the French author Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, which also extolled the virtues of living harmoniously on an island without the constraints of social class divisions. Very nice example from this rare wreck with much retained luster and sharp detail, surfaces with very mild corrosion and patchy toning. Recovered from: St. Geran, sunk in 1744 off Mauritius in the Indian Ocean