French Gold Coins
Brief French History
In Roman times France was known as Gaul. Its borders have expanded and contracted over several millennia, and was at various times composed of several different states ruled by kings and dukes. From the Renaissance France emerged as a leading nation, peaking in the reign of Louis XIV. The arrogant and opulent lifestyles of the aristocracy led to the French Revolution in 1789, which shook Europe like an earthquake, and has had a lasting effect on world politics ever since. After the Revolution, power changed hands numerous times, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power, at first as First Consul for life, then Emperor, and also as king of Italy. The monarchy was restored at least twice, and France its now on its fifth republic. After the German occupation, the Fourth Republic was formed in 1947, but this gave way to a Fifth Republic with a new constitution as recently as 1959. France is the largest country in Western Europe and a central player in the European Union.French Gold Coins
Earlier French gold coin denominations such as the livre , were derived from the latin libra , meaning pound or book, so the French livre was similar to the British pound and the Italian lira. Others included the ecu meaning a shield, so called because its design included a shield bearing a coat of arms, ecus are related linguistically to scudos and escudos. The Louis d'Or was named after Louis XIII. Our tables below show the specifications of most of the French currency issues of gold coins, followed by a list of any recently offered for sale.Francs
The first franc was a gold coin struck in 1360 when King John was freed. It showed King John in armour on horseback, and was known as a franc à cheval. The word franc meaning free, but also referring to the Frankish people. Franc coins fell into disuse after 1642, until they were revived during the revolutionary period in 1795, when a decimal currency system was introduced. As far as we are aware this was the world's first decimal currency system, although the American had proposed it in 1781.Monnaie de Luxe
The French and other countries make a number of monnaies de luxe . This has a meaning similar to luxury coins. Probably the best translation would be specimen coins, they are always a superior finish compared with an ordinary uncirculated coin, but not necessarily a mirror-finish proof coin. The French monnaies de luxe are produced to a very high quality of finish, better than many proof issues from other countries.The French Revolutionary or Republican Calendar Certain French coins are not dated in the Gregorian system, but the French Revolutionary Calendar system. This calendar is calculated from 22th September 1792, the date of the establishment of the first French Republic, although the calendar itself was not introduced until 24th November 1793, therefore there was no year one! The starting date each year is as follows. The calendar was abolished on 1st January 1806.
Napoleon I Bonaparte
For a more complete and up to date listing of gold coins of Napoleon, please see our Napoleon Bonaparte page.French Republican Calendar
| Year | Started |
|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Sep 1792 |
| 2 | 22 Sep 1793 |
| 3 | 22 Sep 1794 |
| 4 | 23 Sep 1795 |
| 5 | 22 Sep 1796 |
| 6 | 22 Sep 1797 |
| 7 | 22 Sep 1798 |
| 8 | 23 Sep 1799 |
| 9 | 23 Sep 1800 |
| 10 | 23 Sep 1801 |
| 11 | 23 Sep 1802 |
| 12 | 24 Sep 1803 |
| 13 | 23 Sep 1804 |
| 14 | 23 Sep 1805 |
Technical Specifications
| Denomination | Diameter | Weight | Fineness | Gold Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
100 Francs
|
34 | 32.2581 | .900 | .9355 |
|
100 Francs Monnaies de Luxe
|
30 | 17.0000 | .920 | .5028 |
|
50 Francs
|
29 | 16.1290 | .900 | .4667 |
|
40 Francs
|
26 | 12.9039 | .900 | .3734 |
|
20 Francs
|
21 | 6.4516 | .900 | .1867 |
|
10 Francs
|
16.5 | 3.2258 | .900 | .0933 |
|
5 Francs
|
16 | 1.6129 | .900 | .0467 |
Types & Dates
| Denomination | Type | First Date | Last Date |
| 20 Francs | Bonaparte Premier Consul / Value in Wreath Latin Date |
XI (1802/3) | XI (1802/3) |
| 20 Francs | Bonaparte Premier Consul / Value in Wreath AN Arabic Numerals |
12 (1803/4) | 12 (1803/4) |
| 20 Francs | Napoleon Empereur / Value in Wreath AN (Arabic Numerals) |
12 (1803/4) | 14 (1805/6) |
| 20 Francs | Napoleon Empereur Bare Head / Value in Wreath | 1806 | 1807 |
| 20 Francs | Napoleon Empereur Laureate Head / Value in Wreath | 1807 | 1815 |
| 20 Francs | Louis XVIII Bust / Crowned Shield in Wreath | 1814 | 1815 |
| 20 Francs | Louis XVIII Head / New Crowned Shield in Wreath | 1816 | 1824 |
| 20 Francs | Charles X / Crowned Shield in Wreath | 1825 | 1830 |
| 20 Francs | Louis Philippe Bare Head / Value in Wreath | 1830 | 1831 |
| 20 Francs | Louis Philippe Laureate Head / Value in Wreath | 1832 | 1846 |
| 20 Francs | Angel / Value in Wreath | 1848 | 1849 |
| 20 Francs | Head of République / Value in Wreath | 1849 | 1851 |
| 20 Francs | Louis Napoleon Bonaparte / Value in Wreath | 1852 | 1852 |
| 20 Francs | Napoleon III / Value in Wreath | 1853 | 1860 |
| 20 Francs | Napoleon III / Shield | 1861 | 1870 |
| 20 Francs | Angel / Value in Wreath | 1871 | 1898 |
| 20 Francs | Ceres / Cockerel (Rooster) Edge DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE |
1899 | 1906 |
| 20 Francs | Ceres / Cockerel (Rooster) Edge LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE |
1906 | 1914 |
Prices & Availability
For lists of French gold coins with prices and availability, please see the following pages:-Quantity Purchases
For investors or collectors wishing to buy 20 Francs in quantity of 10 pieces or more, we can usually quote very competitive bullion rates on request.Postage & Packing
UK Registered Post (Special Delivery) £9 per orderEU Insured Post £10 per order
USA Airmail $10 per order
USA Insured Shipping $20 per order
Louis XVI on Obverse of 1786 French Louis D'or
Reverse of 1786 French Louis D'or
Crowned Arms on Reverse of 1862 50 Francs
Napoleon III on a 50 Francs of 1862
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32 - 36 Harrowside, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 1RJ, England. Telephone (44) - (0) 1253 - 343081; Fax 408058;
E-mail: Contact Us The URL for our main page is: taxfreegold.co.uk