FRANCE - NAPOLEON III - SILVER 1 FRANC PATTERN 1860 - PCGS SP63

Napoleon III (1852-1870), silver 1 franc pattern, 1860.

Obverse: laureate head of Napoleon III left, signed BARRE below the bust, legend NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR. Horizontal anchor as privy mark. Reverse: denomination 1 FRANC and date 1860 within a laurel wreath, legend EMPIRE FRANÇAIS, upright anchor and letter E in exergue. Plain edge.

Specimen strike with satin devices and mirror fields. Attractive iridescent toning. Specimen.

Note: this pattern features the laureate head effigy of Napoleon III as early as 1860, whereas this portrait would not be adopted for circulating coinage until later in the decade. It attests to the research carried out by the engraver Barre on the new imperial effigy, which makes it a cabinet piece sought after by collectors of Second Empire patterns.