French 20 Franc
Description The French 20 Franc gold coin or Napoléon was first minted during the period within which the French republic was using its own calendar. From 1802 to 1804 the coins were marked “AN XI” to refer to the 11th year of the new calendar. In 1806, the calendar was abolished, and the coins from there on in use the Gregorian calendar. The original french 20 franc featured a portrait of Napoléon Bonaparte, emperor of France until 1814. After his exile, the monarchy was restored under the Bourbon restoration and the Kings of the period feature on the coins from 1814 to 1848. In 1848 the second French Republic was established after the February revolutions, and the Angel (Génie) coin was first issued as a coin of the “République Française”. It was shortly followed by the first depiction of Cérès (Roman goddess of the harvest) from 1849 to 1851. After a time of political upheaval, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, latterly Napoléon III was named President, and his image featured on the coins from 1852 to 1870, originally with no adornments (“bare head”) and later with a laurel crown. After his death, the Angel image was once again used from 1871 to 1898, and the design finally changed to the famous symbol of France, the Rooster, from 1898 to 1914; when they were last issued. The coins were also made in various other sizes and at different times (5 francs, 10 francs, 40 francs, 50 francs, 100 francs) but the 20 franc was the most commonly seen and used. All of our gold 20 francs are verified for authenticity by our experienced team. Any coins that fall short of our quality standards are not re-sold. As members of the [BNTA](http://www.bnta.net/) we ensure that our reputation as a reputable dealer of gold and silver coins and bars is upheld, whether a purchase is for our “best price” or brand new coins. Please contact us to find out what years and designs we have available. Our other world coins can be found [here](https://www.atsbullion.com/product-category/gold/gold-coins/world-coins/).