Gold French 20 Francs Napoleon - (.1867 oz of Gold)

Buy Gold French 20 Francs Napoleon - (.1867 oz of Gold)

The French 20 Franc Napoleon Gold Coin was minted from .900 fineness gold in three varieties from 1852-1870. The 21mm coin has .1867 troy oz pure gold content

Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was the both the first elected President of France, and its last monarch. Winning the presidency in France's first popular election following the 1848 revolution against King Louis Philippe of Orleans, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte instigated a coup d-etat in 1851, and proclaimed the end of the Second Republic and his accession as Emperor of the Second Empire on December 2,1852. His reign was notable for its prosperity and stability, however, he was exiled after France's crushing defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

The three versions of the gold 20 Franc coin in the Second Republic/Second Empire era were:

Type 1 (1852): A right profile of Louis-Napoleon on obverse, surrounded by his name; and a reverse with the face value in a wreath and the legend Republique Francais.

Type 2 (1853-1860): The same profile on obverse as Type 1, but the inscription changed to "Napoleon III Empereur"; the reverse the same except the inscription changed to Empire Francais.

Type 3 (1861-1870): The profile on obverse changed to wear Imperial laurels a la Caesar; the reverse changed to crowned and mantled imperial arms dividing the denomination, with date at bottom.

Coin date and design varies and is randomly chosen from available inventory.