Neil S Berman - Expert Numismatist & Gold Coin Dealer

Gold Coins Trade through History

French Gold Napoleon & Franc

French Gold Napoleon & Franc. 1803-1914 The Gold French Twenty Francs, or Napoleon, was introduced by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803. The standard was continued under Louis XVIII, Louis Philippe, Louis Napoleon and through therepublics. The French standard was adopted bythe Latin Monetary Union in 1865. The most commonly seen gold 20 Francs include the Head of Ceres minted between 1849-1851, Napoleon II minted between 1852-1870, the Angle Writing minted between 1871-1898, and the Roosters reverse with a head of the Republic obverse minted between 1899-1914. The French Gold standard was maintained until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, when the French very quickly followed the British lead and went off the gold standard. All the French gold twenty Franc coins weight 6.45 grams of .900 gold, and have .2074 ounces of fine gold. These coins were extensively used in world trade in Europe, Africa, Indochina and Latin America for over one hundred years and are still popular today.