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French 20 Francs Napoleon III

In Stock
Tavex is pleased to present a European classic, the eminent French 20 franc Napoleon III gold coin. ... read more
We sell We buy Spread
3 167,32 DKK
2 733,61 DKK 13.69%
Self pick-up from office - FREE
Delivery by UPS courier - 123,75 DKK
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Self pick-up from office - FREE
Delivery costs start from 123,75 DKK
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Introduction

Tavex is pleased to present a European classic, the eminent French 20 franc Napoleon III gold coin. With a rich history of more than 600 years, the 20 franc gold coin recalls France’s former eminence as one of the great powers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Standardised and authorised by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, the 20 franc is France’s most treasured and sought-after gold coin. Displaying perfect uniformity and accuracy for over a century, the French 20 francs facilitated world trade and became the basis for Europe’s first monetary union. With more than 500 million pieces minted since the 1800s, they are today one of the most liquid and widely recognised classic gold coins available on the European bullion market.

Representing an era of French industrial, cultural and social advancement, the 20 franc Napoleon III gold coin comes in an affordable weight, making it appropriate as a collector’s item, a gift, or a tangible gold investment.

Why Buy

  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins are distinguished French coins. The 20 franc gold piece is France’s  most famous coin and likewise one of the most best -known gold coins in Europe.
  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins are money. French 20 franc gold coins are exempt from Value Added Tax, and as such are exchangeable throughout Europe by bullion dealers and investors alike.
  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins are liquid.  With more than 500 million pieces minted since the 1800s, French 20 franc gold coins have strong liquidity and a guaranteed market. 
  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins were the foundation of Europe’s first monetary union. The French 20 gold franc was the basis for the Latin Monetary Union, Europe’s first major currency union.
  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins are an excellent way to diversify your portfolio. Gold’s low correlation with other financial assets makes French 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins serve as a portfolio hedge against market risk.
  • 20 franc Napoleon III gold coins are the equivalent of savings. French 20 franc gold coins are an ideal choice for any long-term saver who appreciates the security and stability of owning physical  gold coins.

Buying gold items means low risks and maintaining wealth

Gold's value has grown over the years making it good to maintain or grow wealth.

  • Product value (1pc)
    3 167,32 DKK
  • Buyback price
    2 733,61 DKK
  • Your risk now
    433,71 DKK

Fact: gold price in DKK has risen 83.83% in the last 8 years. The lowest price was 7 537,09 DKK/oz and the highest 15 497,80 DKK/oz. Current world market price is 15 417,40 DKK/oz

The origin of the French gold franc

The fascinating history of the gold franc began in the 14th century during the Hundred Years’ War. This was the time of a series of waged conflicts between France and Britain, and during the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, in France, the French King John II was captured by his English foes. The English sought a ransom for the French king, three million gold coins to be exact. Once the terms were agreed upon, King John was released, and his return from captivity was glorified with the introduction of a gold coin called the franc à cheval, meaning “free on horse”, alluding to how the King rode out as a free man. Although the new gold franc was thereafter used in trade throughout France, its uniformity was often subject to revaluation. This changed when Napoleon Bonaparte came to power at the beginning of the 1800s.


The French 20 franc gold coin was authorised by Napoleon Bonaparte

Considered one of the world’s foremost military leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte, highly skilled in politics, managed during the end of the French revolution to assert himself as the First Consul of the new French government. A staunch proponent of gold, he authorised the standardisation and creation of the Napoleon gold coin in 1803. The new coin was originally minted in two denominations, 20 and 40 francs. Denominations of 5, 10, 50 and 100 francs were later introduced and minted at various times, but the most popular and consequently most minted was the 20 franc gold coin. The 20 franc Napoleon gold coin weighed 6.45 grams, and contained 90% gold, or 5.805 grams of gold. The 20 franc gold coin was last issued in 1914, and although the design and the depicted effigy changed during this period, the coin’s denomination and uniformity stayed the same, contributing to the coin’s reputation and popularity as a trustworthy and accurate gold coin. Consequently, all 20 franc gold coins minted in the 19th and 20th centuries are referred to as “Napoleons”.


The French 20 franc coin - the gold standard of Europe

Ironically, Napoleon’s 20 franc gold coin was more successful in unifying Europe in terms of coinage, and consequently trade and prosperity, than what Napoleon sought to accomplish by force. And while the territories Napoleon had conquered were soon lost, the 20 franc gold coin did just the opposite. It prevailed and established itself as the foundation of Europe’s first major currency union under the name “Latin Monetary Union”. The Union was originally formed in 1865 between France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, and was an attempt to unify those countries’ money into a uniform single currency. The French gold franc’s peerless uniformity and the attractiveness of the relatively large French economy provided the incentive and the foundation for a new “euro” currency.

The founding members of the union adopted the franc and they agreed to freely interchange each other’s gold and silver coinage at parity, irrespective of whether they carried another design or motif. The ratio of the two precious metals was likewise standardised, with 4.5 grams of silver being equal to .290322 grams of gold, a ratio of 15.5 to 1. The standardisation facilitated and simplified trade among the member countries and was seen as an appealing concept, leading other European countries to join as well. Although the union came with numerous flaws, one of them being that individual governments over-issued paper notes above the stipulated fixed ratio that was set between paper notes and circulating precious metal coinage, they were all the consequence of poor human judgement rather than the failure of the uniform precious metal coinage itself. Nevertheless, the union expanded until the advent of World War I, and came to a formal end a decade later in 1927.


The popularity of French 20 franc gold coins lives on

Napoleon gold coins were widely distributed during the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and throughout the world. France controlled a large part of Europe in the early 1800s and subsequently rose to its colonial might in the early 20th century. To facilitate trade and investments, the Napoleon 20 franc gold coins became the preferred choice due to their stable uniformity and trustworthiness. Most of the Napoleon gold coins were issued after the 1850s, which coincided with the expansion of the Latin Monetary Union and the height of the French colonial empire. The production of the Napoleon series ended by the early 1900s with the last version being the 20 franc Rooster gold coin. Although Napoleon gold coins are no longer produced, their popularity lives on, and they are in fact today the most traded classic gold coins in several European countries, including France.

As the French empire expanded, the need for gold and silver coinage increased. To satisfy the vast demand, gold francs were minted in several mints, and, over the years thatNapoleon gold coins were issued, more than twenty French mints, but also mints in countries under French rule, produced these desired gold coins. Every mint that struck gold francswas obligated to leave a unique identification mark on every coin so that the origin of the gold franc would be more easily traceable. The mark could either be a letter, a symbol, or a monogram. For instances, the letter “A” corresponded to the Paris mint, while the letter R, or the symbol of a crown, was the mark of the Rome mint. Although the production of gold francswas widespread throughout France and Europe, the large majority of these gold coins were minted by the Monnaie de Paris. Founded in 864 by the French King Charles the Bald, the Monnaie de Paris is the largest and oldest mint in France and likewise the oldest French institution. Even though the mint was a government institution and was responsible for the mintage of French circulating coinage, it shared this responsibility for almost a millennium with other French mints, hence the many different mint markings on the Napoleon gold coin.

 

In 1878, the Paris mint was granted exclusive privilege to be the only French mint to produce circulating coinage and is today the country’s main mint and sole producer of the official French euro coinage.

Product weight in grams
6.4516
Gold weight in grams
5.80644
Fineness
900
Gold weight in troy ounces
0.18668
Diameter
21
Thickness
-
Face value description
20 franc
Manufacturer
France

Obverse

The obverse of this coin portrays the effigy of Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon I, with a laurel. Surrounding his effigy is the text “NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR”. Under the effigy is the signature of the master engraver “BARRE”.

Reverse

The reverse contains an ornate shield which in the centre portrays the motif of an eagle. Surrounding the shield is the text “EMPIRE FRAN ÇAIS”, which translates as “French empire” and the denomination 20 FR. Under the shield is the year of mintage and the mint mark.

Packaging

Each coin is individually packaged in a hard plastic capsule if desired

Pickup in Tavex store

You can choose to pick up your order in our store in Copenhagen. As soon as we receive your payment, we will contact you via email and phone, and you can then collect your order.

Delivery via UPS

After receiving your payment, your order will be shipped as soon as possible (normal within 24 hours) and you will receive a tracking number from UPS. UPS’ delivery time is approx. 1-3 working days.

To ensure that our customers personally receive and sign for the shipped goods, orders are sent as a value package via UPS with delivery, where a signature is required. UPS attempts delivery three times. If you have not been home to receive the package after the 3 attempts, the package is returned to Tavex. You can track your package via your tracking number here.

In some cases, it is possible to order collection of your package at a UPS delivery point, this requires a special agreement with Tavex. Please note that the delivery location may ask for ID when collecting packages.

Please note that all orders (unless otherwise agreed with Tavex) are sent by home delivery, and that you must therefore be at home and sign for receipt – Contact us if you wish to have your package sent to a UPS pick-up point.

Insurance

Your package is sent as an insured value package with UPS and should your package unexpectedly disappear or be damaged during transport, Tavex will resend your order or refund your payment. The insurance is valid until you have acknowledged and received the package.

Packaging

Your order is packed in protected packaging and sent in a discreet unmarked envelope/package.

Tracking

As soon as your order is packed, your tracking number will be sent to your email. You can follow the location and status of your package via the UPS website.

Shipping costs

Tavex offers free shipping on purchases over DKK 8,500 (excl. VAT)

0 – 8.500 DKK excl. VAT 123,75 DKK
8.501 – 1.000.000 DKK excl. VAT Free delivery
1.000.000+ DKK excl. VAT Contact us

The above prices are valid for deliveries in Denmark (not including Greenland or the Faroe Islands). If you want delivery abroad, please contact us on +45 3311 1510 or tavex@tavex.dk.

Delays/goods not in stock

If your package is sent later than expected, a given product is not in stock or temporarily sold out, you will be contacted by phone or email and you will be informed of the expected delivery time of your order.

NOTE: When delivering with UPS and picking up in our store, you must present a valid photo ID (passport or driver’s license).

  • Free delivery over DKK 8,500
  • Large stock
  • Fast delivery
  • 100% insured delivery

Vast Stock Availability

The majority of Tavex’s products are always in stock and therefore Tavex can offer you quick delivery and same day pick-up with market leading prices. Tavex is an official partner of all the biggest mints in the world, such as the Perth Mint Australia, the Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich), China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd., the gold bar market leader PAMP Suisse and Valcambi and other gold factories and dealers.

Same day pick-up

Feel free to visit our office during opening hours to have a free consultation or learn more about a specific product. If you purchase, online you can pick up the products on the same day we receive the payment.

Low prices

Over 25 years on the market and large volumes have enabled us to offer you the best prices on the market. With Tavex, you can maximise return on your investment because of low margins and spreads.

Item in Stock

This item is in stock and ships right after payment is made and is ready for self-pickup.

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