Medal France Marianne by A Desaide 1870 to 1900

Alphonse Desaide was a French sculptor who was very active in medallic arts during the last half of the 1800s. His works are sought by collectors, and that gives them decent value. One of his favorite subjects was Marianne, the symbol of liberty and strength for the Republic. She appears on many of his medals, usually with different reverse sides. The reverse shown in our picture is for an agriculture society, but many other reverses are available.

We can give very approximate values for these pieces, although each stands on its own merits and, if you have a nice example, you should seek out a knowledgeable collector or professional numismatist for an in-person appraisal.

To get approximate value, first compute the base value (BV) of the piece due to precious metal content:

BRONZE: BV is zero, no precious metal
SILVER: BV is current value of silver multiplied by the silver content, usually several 10s of US dollars
GOLD: BV is current value of gold multiplied by the gold content, usually several 100s of US dollars

A jeweler can help determine silver or gold content. It depends on the weight of the piece and on the purity of the precious metal.

Once you have BV, figure catalog values like this:

worn: BV + $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: BV + $30
well preserved: BV + $60
fully uncirculated: BV + $100

Use our Important Terminology page to convert catalog values to actual buy and sell values.
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