20 Franc Gold Napoleon III France

20 Franc Gold Napoleon III France: gold coin from the Second Empire

• Manufacturer: the French mints in which the coinage of the Empire was produced.
• Motif: the head of Napoleon III in profile with his name and the title EMPEREUR, together with the engraver's signature.
• Material / fineness: Gold with a share of 900/1,000, which results in 5.81 g of fine gold.
• Dimensions: 21.00 mm in diameter with a total weight of 6.45 g.
• Condition: used circulation coins whose traces differ from piece to piece.

Nephew of Napoleon I, the first president of France elected by the people and, in the end, the country's last monarch: Napoleon III shaped France's destiny for more than two decades. The title EMPEREUR on the coin refers to the period of the Second Empire, when Paris received its great boulevards. Among the French gold coins of the 19th century, the pieces bearing his portrait are among the best known.

From elected president to Emperor of the French

Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte won the presidential election of the Second Republic in December 1848. As the constitution did not allow re-election, he seized power in a coup d'état in 1851, and in December 1852 he became Emperor of the French as Napoleon III. Under his rule, Baron Haussmann rebuilt the capital with broad avenues, while the railway network grew rapidly. The Franco-Prussian War brought the Empire to an end: after the defeat at Sedan in September 1870, the Republic was proclaimed. Napoleon III died in exile in England in 1873.

The emperor's portrait and the signature BARRE

The photo shows the emperor's head in profile, his hair carefully combed back. The legend gives his name NAPOLEON III and the title EMPEREUR, the French word for emperor. The signature BARRE is struck beneath the neck; it stands for the engraver. A fine row of beads borders the coin design on the outside. Depending on the year of minting, Napoleon III appears bareheaded or with a laurel wreath, so your coin may bear a different version of the portrait from the piece in the photo.

One coin standard for several countries

The weight and fineness of the 20 francs coin were precisely defined by law. When France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland joined together in the Latin Monetary Union in 1865, they made this standard their binding common basis. That is why the Napoleon coin matches the Swiss 20 francs Vreneli in weight, fineness and diameter. In France, a 20 francs gold coin is still popularly called a Napoléon today, regardless of which motif it shows.

5.81 g of gold, flexible to use

With 5.81 g of fine gold, the coin combines tangible value with a handy format. For your crisis protection, this means flexibility: individual pieces can be exchanged or sold while the rest of your holdings remains untouched. The fact that many central banks hold large gold reserves shows how highly gold is valued as a store of value. For you as a private investor, too, it is a proven inflation hedge, because its value rests on the metal itself and not on a printed amount.

More than 150 years have passed since these coins were minted. Signs of wear are therefore part of the picture and look different on every piece; which year you receive is not determined in advance. As investment gold, the coin is exempt from VAT. If private investors in Germany hold gold for more than one year, any gain on a later sale is tax-free.

Reasons to choose the imperial Napoléon

1. France's last monarch: The coin bears the portrait of the ruler with whom the monarchy in France came to an end.
2. Common standard: Weight and fineness follow the standard that applied in the Latin Monetary Union to the gold pieces of 20 francs or lire.
3. Handy size: 21.00 mm and 5.81 g of fine gold can be stored in little space and used individually.
4. Two portrait types: With and without a laurel wreath, the portrait tells of different phases of his reign.

With the 20 Franc Gold Napoleon III France from Kettner Edelmetalle, you preserve a piece of French imperial history in genuine gold.