By Guy Franquinet – Owner, Franquinet Coins for MA-Shops.com ……
As of 2018, Franquinet Coins (Münzen Franquinet) in Crailsheim, Germany has been in business for 35 years. During this period, the shop has worked with and consulted thousands of collectors, paving the road for their coin collecting journey.
How did this come about? As is the case with many other collectors, it all started during the days of my youth, with a few silver coins given to me by my grandma. When the price of silver started to climb during the late 1960s, silver coins in circulation were finally discarded all over the world. And like elsewhere, in the Netherlands they were replaced by coins made of copper-nickel alloys.
It was only many years afterwards that I remembered my hobby again, when the ads of a well-known German numismatic company began to seem quite appealing to me. After having received several shipments and noticing considerable price differences, I decided to turn the tables and started supplying coins to these companies, the sources that I had discovered being simply better.
One thing led to another, and in 1983 I registered my first coin trade with the authorities. There were plenty of coin traders at the time, but I soon noticed that “small change” in excellent condition was rather scarce – and it still is today! During my regular travels to the United States, I also found out that double strikes and other error coins are a quite underexposed field of collecting interests.
And yet these double strikes, deficiencies, and trial mintings have always been the icing on the cake.
During the 1990s, I was sworn in as an official numismatic expert and it was also during the ’90s that I conducted a scientific study on the monetary history of the Litzmannstadt ghetto – a previously blank chapter in German history. Also in my old age, I would like to continue being of service to my collector clients and friends, hoping that I will still be in a position to bring the joy of collecting to these people and that I will be able to help them with timely assistance, something that I enjoy doing tremendously.
To see what error coins I currently have in stock, visit my shop at www.ma-shops.com/franquinet. A few highlights are shown below.
* * *
20 Cent 2002 A EU Twisted Stars
$5,850.00 USD
Only the second 20 cents 2002A twisted stars error coin known to me. Struck in Berlin, Germany (A).
1 Euro 1999 EU with 1 Cent Inner Disc
$1,200.00 USD
This is a 1999 One Euro coin with a One Cent coin in place of the Euro’s inner core.
5 Mark Ancillary Areas New Guinea
$5,700.00 USD
A Mint State New Guinea 5 Mark coin with super rainbow toning.
$3,750.00 USD
Another great Mint State piece, this time an 1848A Saxony 1 Double Thaler struck in Berlin.
2 Pfennig 1967G Iron
$2,750.00 USD
An exemplary 2 Pfennig 1967G Proof coin made in iron. Mintage limited to only 520 pieces.
5 Mark 1901D Empire Georg II
$1,675.00 USD
This 1901D 5 Mark coin from Saxe-Meiningen in Germany features Duke Georg II is certified MS-62 by NGC. Struck in Munich.
* * *
About MA-Shops
MA-Shops is an internet marketplace headquartered in Europe. MA-Shops has assembled a network of reputable coin dealers – both large and small – onto one, easy-to- use platform to sell coins, paper currency, medals, military orders and stamps directly to the collector. Founded by German engineer Joachim Schwiening in 2005, MA- Shops is now the leading ”online collector mall” worldwide. Browsing through the site quickly reveals how wide and variegated the selection from MA-Shops and its associated dealers really is. In recent months, Schwiening and MA-Shops have made a concerted push into the American market.
- OPEN YOUR MA-SHOP and sell to 300,000 collectors
- Items listed on marketplaces and search engines, Google & Co.
- Marketing Tools, dedicated MA-Shops Support
- Email Campaigns
- Multi Language, English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese
Contact MA-Shops here
