France Dating Paris mint bars....

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hass says the bars of this style are WW1 and later and mentions the "Corn"1"Corn" (Like this one)

And

"Corn"1"Corn"

"Corn"2"Corn"

"Corn"(Backward)2"Corn"

"Corn"1*"Corn"

"Corn"BR

He mentions tha last series (Especially the 1* stamped ones are basically for the collectors market.

Is it possible to date the stamps?

Best

Chris

[Naxos]

:rolleyes: sorry

Edited March 2, 2009 by Naxos

[Veteran]

Hello Chris

The Paris Mint hallmark you show was used after 1913 on all products struck by this Government Agency. The numeral 1 simply means the silver alloy is 900/1.000 fine.

From 1975 and later, a small star was added on all products. A regular stock was maintained for a very long time in order to furnish the required medals and clasps for legitimate buyers, whatever their motives were (they could have been elderly survivors, descendants of men and women who had earned them, or collectors of course).

Jean Hass, whom I have known personnally, handled thousands of early colonial medals and clasps in his time, which was still quite close to the colonial splendor of the French empire. He therefore saw the more recent products as play material for collectors. Hence his judgement that the "stared" material was so recent it could only have been made to satisfy collectors .... who incidentally were not in sufficient numbers in the '50s to justify a special stricking.

It may just be that the Mint went on routinely stricking after 1975 and for a few years using that hallmark. I certainly don't feel one should look upon medals and bars carrying it as mere "collector stuff". They are late official strickings, period.

When I started collecting, in the mid-60s, I picked up what was left of the 3rd stricking of clasps for the Colonial Medal (1910-1918). No one was particularly interested and I got the lot at going price. Collectors were just not interested. So why would the Mint have started anything special ?

I apologize for this long explanation. But I feel things are more straightforward than most collectors think.

Regards

Veteran

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Vet,

great answer!

As the HAss book is my only reference on this it is important for me to hear a different view.

Best

Chris