Moneta
Registered: August 2005 Location: Arizona USA Posts: 2,365

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This token 5 Sols was minted in Birmingham England. Late in 1791 Matthew Boulton, utilizing his newly invented steam driven coin presses, was commissioned by the Monneron Brothers of Paris France to produce 1, 2 and 5 Sols pieces in great quantity at his Soho Mint near Birmingham. According to various sources, the total weight of tokens produced was in excess of 70 tons. These 'monnaies de necessite' were to be used to remedy the lack of specie which plagued France during the early revolutionary years. The technical and aesthetic quality of the tokens was far superior to the bronze coins of the time.
Obverse - Soldiers swearing allegiance to personification of 'France', who holds a copy of the Constitution. Legend: "VIVRE LIBRES OU MOURIER." ("Live Free or Die"). In exergue: "XIIII JUILLET MDCCXC" (14 July 1790) - This is, no doubt, the earliest of the Allegiance 5 Sols series with this ROMAN NUMERAL date. Very Scarce despite the fact that KM equates it with the rest of the series in value. I've seen dozens of the Arabic date types - this was the first Roman Numeral.
Above the flags: "PACTE FEDERATIF"
Reverse: "MEDAILLE DE CONFIANCE DE CINQ-SOLS REMBOURSABLE EN ASSIGNATS DE 50 L. ET AU DESSUS." In exergue: "L'AN III DE LA LIBERTE" Legend: "MONNERON FRERES NEGOCIANS A PARIS 1791." Edge reads: "DEPARTEMENS DE PARIS . RHONE ET LOIRE . DU GARD .". Mazard No. 142. There are several other types, this one much less common, some much rarer, including types struck in silver & gilt.
The date L'AN III de la Liberte refers to the Revolutionary French Constitutional Calendar and translates as early 1792. The scene on the obverse shows the Oath of the Federation, the first anniversary of which was celebrated by the Festival of the Federation on 14 July 1790. The Festival, which included a mass held by the great French statesman Talleyrand (1754-1838), then the Bishop of Autun, also commemorated the taking of the Bastille and the bond uniting the nation, the king, and the people.
In March 1792, the Monneron Brothers became bankrupt and one brother, Pierre, abandoned the business. Under the other brother, Augustin, the business recovered, but a law inacted 3rd May 1792 forbade the production of privately issued coinage. In September, a further decree also forbade the marketing of these 'Medailles de Confiance'. This emergency coinage only remained in circulation until the end of 1793. These are listed in KM under France Token issues of MONNAIES DE CONFIANCE (1791-92).
I did a sampling survey of all the 5 Soles appearing in the records of ACSearch data archives. I examined 289 examples. Only 4 had Roman numeral dates. There were 3 examples in silver, one was clearly a plated silver type; there were 2 gilt (gold) plated examples. I did a similar survey for the top 3 or 4 French material but w/o an number sampling - none had a Roman numeral type I.
The medal upon which the 5 Sols Allegiance scene is based had an example up for bid in the Margolis Collection auction (Stack's Bowers Aug 16, '24). It's main features are a more detailed view of the scene than found on the Monneron 5 Sols. The reverse shows a six line statement: "Nous Jurons De Maintenir De Tout Notre Pouvoir La Constitution Du Roiaume" (all capitals) which translates as: "We swear to maintain with all our power the constitution of the kingdom." The full text for the lot is: LOT 43135; FRANCE. Constitution. Federative Pact Oval Bronze Medal, 1790. Paris Mint. PCGS MS-64 Brown. Hennin-165. By A. Dupré. Dimensions: 28mm x 35mm. Obverse: Oathtaking scene on Federation Day; Reverse: Legend in six lines within oak and laurel wreath. Featuring warm brown surfaces and some enticing luster remaining in the fields, this charming medallic issue relates to the Dupré-designed 5 Sous for the Monneron brothers. Provenance: From the Richard Margolis Collection.
VIEW & DOWNLOAD:
Here is the link to the BEST article on Matthew Boulton, the Industrialization of Coinage, and the Monneron Brother's wonderful token coinage during the French Revolution:
Boulton and the Monnerons - Margolis: /library/Boulton%20and%20the%20Monnerons%20-%20Margolis.pdf
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