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:-

• 5 Francs
• 10 Francs
• 20 Francs
• 40 Francs
• 50 Francs
• 100 Francs
• Napoleon Bonaparte

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) £6 per order
EU Insured Post £10 per order
USA Airmail $10 per order
USA Insured Shipping $20 per order