20 Francs – A Fractional Gold Coin Ideal for Investing

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Fractional gold coins are a great way to invest and provide a less expensive and practical way to accrue and stack gold.

Having a portion of savings set aside in precious metals can help provide a stable safety net or hedge against inflation and other investments.

Most countries throughout the world utilized currency coinage that was minted of silver and gold throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s. The French Franc currency played an extensive role throughout the era and around the world.

The Latin Monetary Union (LMU) was a trade treaty signed by numerous European countries in 1865 that established the franc as a unified common currency based on the gold standard that helped to shape global trade for many decades. The treaty thrust the 20 francs gold coins into a role as a fundamental coin of merchant trade. A role it played for nearly one hundred years.

Each member nation began minting gold coins to the same standards to circulate for international merchant trade. All 20 francs gold coins are minted with planchets created from an alloy of 90% gold and 10% copper. The coins are each 21 mm in diameter with an overall gross weight of 6.45 grams.

The actual gold weight in each 20 francs coin is 5.80 grams, the equivalent of .1867 troy ounces. A stack of five of these coins is almost an ounce of gold.

These are one of the most popular gold bullion coins for investors. Vintage gold 20 francs are government minted coins that are today sold as bullion for their intrinsic value. These are often the cheapest gold coins available and are perfect for stacking.

Below is a brief description of some of the coins that were minted by France from the early 1800s until the early 1900s.

The era in the history of France commonly referred to as the Napoleonic Wars and lasted from 1803 until 1815, led by Emperor Napoleon I. At the height of his power, the emperor and his vast armies had taken control of much of mainland Europe. The First French Empire spanned from the eastern shores of Spain to the southern tip of Italy, all the way to the borders of Russia.

Napoleon had an extensive impact on the lands he conquered, improving and modernizing society through liberal reforms. Along the way, the wars brought vast amounts of gold into the French Empire and most of it was minted into 20 francs gold coins.

Napoleon I 20 Francs

Napoleon I brought sweeping reforms throughout the country, and helped France win significant military victories, eventually being granted the title of Emperor of France in 1804.

There is a broad variety of 20 francs gold coins that were produced bearing portraits of Napoleon, across dozens of mints throughout the France, Italy and even as far away as the Netherlands.

The 20 francs gold coins minted from 1804 until 1814 feature a leftward facing portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Bullion coins from this era can have a mix of obverse design as various portraits and titles were used throughout these years. The coins you receive when buying Napoleon I 20 Francs Gold coins are chosen at random from available inventory and could be from mix of years and mint marks.

The early coins featured a young Napoleon with hair cropped wavy and long that was carved by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier, General Coin Engraver from Paris. The first coins include the title Premier Consul inscribed surrounding the portrait. This was later updated to read “Empereur”.

Louis XVIII 20 Francs

Following Napoleon’s second exile from France, King Louis XVIII reigned from 1815 until his death in 1824. The gold coins minted during this era had a right facing effigy bust of Louis that was modified in 1816 to remove the appearance of the military dress uniform.

The nude bust variation is the most common coin to find amongst random year Louis XVIII 20 francs gold coin.

The coins feature inscriptions on the front that include the name of King Louis XVIII, along with his title “ROI DE FRANCE”. The mark for the artist and engraver is incorporated below the portrait.

The reverse side of these coins contains a simple wreath motif that shows the face value and year-date of minting.

Charles X 20 Francs

Charles X 20 Francs gold coin

The reign of King Charles X last from 1824 until 1830. During the short reign lasting just six years, the king lost popularity amongst the liberals of French society.

The conservative policies directed from his regime are largely responsible for leading to the July Revolution which deposed the ruler and put in place his more liberal cousin, King Louis Philippe I.

The portrait was engraved by medalist and sculptor Auguste-François Michaut with the obverse engraving bearing his name and title reading “CHARLES X ROI DE FRANCE”, which translates to “Charles X King of France”.

Roughly 1.5 million Charles X 20 francs gold coins were produced with this design across four French mints.

Louis Philippe I 20 Francs

Louis Philippe I was nicknamed the “Citizen King” and served as the King from 1830 until 1848. Under his reign, known as the July Monarchy, the French economy was dominated and largely influence by wealthy industrialists and bankers

Louis Philippe expanded relations with Great Britain and sponsored colonial expansion, most notably with the acquisition of Algeria.

This king was considered a repressive ruler following his brother’s reign and many at the time felt him to be an illegitimate king. Many uprisings occurred in France throughout the 1830s, Louis-Philippe clamped down on dissent and gained a reputation for supporting the interests of the rich.

Many of the poorer class of citizens grew resentful and Louis-Philippe escaped from eight assassination attempts before he finally fled to England.

During his 18 years in power, the more than six million Louis-Philippe 20 Francs gold coins were minted at various minting facilities throughout the country. The obverse bust portrait was created by engraver Joseph-François Domard. The reverse depicts the crowned coat of arms enwreathed with the year-date of minting and legal-tender face value of 20 Francs.

Napoleon III 20 Francs

Napoleon III was President of the Republic of France from 1848 to 1852 and remained the last monarch until he was deposed in 1870. During his time leading the country he focused on building infrastructure for the country, leading to growth in the industrial base, economic expansion and the creation of new banks.

The banks provided the funding for Napoleon III’s major projects, which included massive steamships to reach far away colonies and railways and canals to connect the country’s major cities and trade hubs, and the rebuilding of Paris. Funding from the banks was funneled into developing new neighborhoods that are among the most famous and prominent amongst the Right Bank, such as rue de Rivoli, Opéra, and place de l’Etoile.

Various styles of the Napoleon III 20 Francs Gold coin were minted under his reign with two similar, though notably different obverse designs that commonly circulated during this period that are frequently found when buying random 20 francs gold coins.  

The first, issued from 1853 until 1860 featured a rightward facing Napoleon III that was created from a portrait by artist Jean-Jacques Barre. The portrait features a bare headed emperor. More than 135 million gold coins were minted with this design over the seven year period making it a popular coin with bullion investors. These 20 francs gold Napoleon III coins have maintained their intrinsic value for more than 150 years due to the underlying gold content.

The second 20 francs Napoleon III gold coin was minted from 1861 until the end of his reign in 1870. The coin features a similar portrait, the primary difference appears to be that the monarch wearing a laurel wreath upon his head. More than 50 million of these coins were minted during this 18 year period.

It is very common to receive these as bullion coins when buying random year 20 francs gold coins, which remain incredible popular with investors. These coins were minted in mass quantities due to the establishment of the Latin Monetary Union during this period.

Lucky Angel 20 Francs

After the second exile of Napoleon III, the country turned to focus on more domestic measure starting with the Paris Commune in 1871. The Génie coin, often referred to as the Lucky Angel gold coin, was minted from 1871 until 1898.

The obverse design for the coin was created by artist and medallic sculptor Augustin Dupré who was the student of the sculptor David. The French Revolution gave him the opportunity to develop his art of engraving medals for soldiers as well as various coins. The iconic image on this coin represents the Guardian Angel Genius writing the constitution fresh on a blank tablet.

20 Francs Lucky Angel Gold Coin 1871-1898

The genie is turned to the right and is writing the word “constitution” on a table laid on a stone pillar. Other French cultural symbols are hidden in the design such as the cockerel, the lictor beam with the hand of justice above. The words “Republique Française” are written above the angel and Dupré’s signature mark can be found at the bottom.

The reverse design takes some added freedom in its departure from the previous designs. The traditional wreath and denomination value remain on the reverse in the center. In addition, inscriptions were added that instill some of the cultural values of the French people, including “Liberte”, “Egalite” and “Fraternite”.

More than 95 million 20 Francs gold Lucky Angel coins were minted from 1871 to 1898, with many surviving coins available today makes it one of the most popular fractional bullion coins for investors.

20 Francs Rooster Gold Coin

20 Francs Gold Rooster

The 20 Francs Gold Rooster was minted from 1899 until 1914. It is the last of the French 20 Francs Gold coins that was intended for circulation. Over 117,000,000 gold coins were minted. The denomination (known as the Franc Germinal) was in continual use through the 19th and 20th centuries.

The obverse of the coin has a profile of Marianne, the Goddess of Liberty who is symbolic of the French Republic. She is a symbol with origins in the 3rd French Republic and is a personification of liberty and reason. Inscribed around her are the words “République Française”.

The reverse displays a portrait of Le Coq Gaulois or Gallic Rooster, colloquially named Chantecler. The reverse includes the date and legal tender face value and is surrounded with the words “Liberté Egalité Fraternitén”, values that are still preserved in the culture of France today.

About Mexican Dos Peso Gold Coins

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Dos Pesos Gold Coins production began at La Casa De Moneda in Mexico City beginning in 1919. In 1919, roughly 1,670,000 coins were minted. Production continued briefly through 1920 before it was halted.

Production of the Dos Pesos was restarted in 1944 and continued through 1948.

From 1951-1972 the mint began production again. During this time 4,590,493 coins were restruck, most dated 1945.

In 1996 additional restrikes were produced with a matte finish. An additional 260,000 restrike coins dated 1945 were struck minted 2000-2009.

Dos Pesos coins that were produced at La Casa De Moneda carry the “Mo” mint mark, with the lowercase o being centered above the uppercase M.

On most Gold Dos Pesos coins the mint mark is most commonly located on the reverse, at the bottom below the bow in the wreath.

Coin Highlights:

  • Denomination: 2 Pesos
  • Total Weight: 1.666 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight (AGW): .0482 troy ounces (1.499 grams)
  • Composition: 90% Gold, 10%
  • Diameter: 13 millimeters
  • Thickness: 1.02 millimeters

Dos Pesos Mintage Chart

Year Mintage Comments
1919 Mo 1,670,000
1920 Mo 4,282,000
1944 Mo 10,000
1945 Mo 140,000 1945 original strikes
1945 Mo 4,590,493 1951-1972 restrikes (dated 1945)
1945 Mo 1996 Matte restrikes (dated 1945)
1946 Mo 168,000
1947 Mo 25,000
1948 Mo 45,000

The mintage years for the Dos Pesos Gold coin spanned 90 years. The majority of the coins produced and available in the market are restrikes dated 1945.

Throughout the 90 year production run 10,930,493 Dos Pesos Gold coins were produced.

Five Gold Coins that Cost Less than $200 Each

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Precious Metals investors and enthusiast of all budgets are always on the lookout to add interesting, affordable and cheap gold coins to their portfolio. Investors with smaller budgets, or those new to precious metals may find the idea of spending close to $1,400 on a 1 oz Gold Coin daunting. So we’ve put together a small guide for the budget conscious of five gold coins that cost less than $200 each.

With the current gold spot price wavering between $1,250-$1,400 per ounce many investors look to fractional gold coins as a way to diversify into gold without having to spend a lot of money.

The obvious choice that many people choose is to buy 1/10th oz American Gold Eagle or 1/10th oz Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins. These are a good choice, however, the premiums on these coins can be extremely high when looking at things on a cost per ounce basis.

The melt value of a 1/10th oz American Gold Eagle coin is around $135 with gold spot price trading around $1,350 per ounce. In today’s retail bullion market the lowest price you can buy 1/10th oz American Gold Eagle coins for is around $150. The premium is about $15, which is a 10% dealer premium over spot price.

When factoring that premium on a per ounce basis, the 10% premium become $150 per ounce. The premium on a 1 oz American Gold Eagle coin can be as low as 1%, or roughly $13.50. When you invest in fractional gold coins it is important to look at the cost basis as it compares to a full ounce counterpart.

Vintage fractional gold coins can often be found with much lower premiums.

Gold Coins that Cost Less than $200

10 Francs Gold Coins

10 Francs Gold Coins were minted by a number of different countries under the Latin Monetary Union during the 19th and 20th centuries. The most popular 10 Franc Gold coins were minted in France and Switzerland.

There are at least three popular designs that investors seek for their bullion value and low premiums.

The 10 Francs Rooster Coin was struck from 1899 to 1914 in France. The obverse of the coin features the Gallic Rooster standing proud along with the French national motto of Liberte Egalite Fraternite.

The original design of the 10 Francs Gold Coin was that of Napolean III. Minted from 1854 to 1860, these coins mimic the 20 Francs and features a right-profile portrait of Napoleon III on the obverse, with the engravings Napoleon III and Empereur around the portrait.

Helvetia 10 Francs Gold Coins where struck from 1911 to 1922 in Switzerland towards the end of the Latin Monetary Union. The coins feature the young bust of Helvetia facing left, with the denomination and year of minting on the reverse.

10 Francs Gold Coin Highlights:

  • Composition: Gold
  • Fineness: 90%
  • Weight: 3.2258 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight (AGW): 0.0933 troy oz

Mexican 5 Pesos Gold Coins

The Mexican 5 Peso Gold Coin contains roughly .1205 troy ounces, roughly 3.75 grams of gold bullion. The premiums on fractional gold like the Gold 5 Peso Coin are often much lower than other fractional gold coins making them an attractive investment for bullion investors.

Cinco Peso Mexican Gold Coins were produced by the Mexican National Mint, La Casa de Moneda de Mexico. The Mexican 5 Peso Gold Coins were produced from from 1918-1948. Most of the coins on the market that are sold as 1945 5 Peso Gold Coins are restrikes. Many of the restrikes were produced between 1951-1972 and again in 1996.

5 Pesos Gold Coin Highlights:

  • Composition: Gold
  • Fineness: 90%
  • Weight: 4.1665 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight (AGW):  0.1205 troy oz

Gold 1 Ducat Coins

Gold 1 Ducat coins were minted in Austria and Netherlands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Most of the Gold 1 Ducat coins that are available today are restrikes that are produced by the Austrian Mint based on the design featuring the bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I that are dated as 1915.

1 Ducat Gold Coin Highlights:

  • Composition: Gold
  • Fineness: 98.6%
  • Weight: 3.494 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight (AGW):  0.1107 troy oz
  • Obverse: Laureate head right facing bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
  • Reverse: Crowned imperial double headed eagle.

Great Britain Half Sovereign Gold Coins

The British half sovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII. Gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns were discontinued from 1604 until 1817. The reestablishing of the Gold Sovereigns occurred following a major revision of British coinage in 1817. Production continued until 1926.

After 1926, production of Gold Sovereign coins was limited primarily to special issues for coronation years. Annual minting was restarted by the Royal Mint in 1980.

The Gold Half Sovereign was also used extensively in Australia, until 1933.

The reverse side, featuring St. George slaying a dragon was designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, whose initials appear to the right of the date.

Half Sovereign Gold Coin Highlights:

  • Composition: Gold
  • Fineness: 91.66%
  • Weight: 3.99 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight (AGW):  0.1176 troy oz
  • Obverse:
  • Reverse:

Austria 4 Florins/10 Francs

The 4 Florin/10 Francs gold coins were minted in Austria between 1870 and 1892. Under the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Austria began to join the Latin Monetary Union. During that time the Austrian Mint started striking the 4 Florin/10 Francs as trade coins.

The Florin gold coins were minted in two denominations: the 4 Florin gold coins with a face value of 10 Francs and the 8 Florin gold coins with the corresponding value of 20 Francs.

The Austria Mint still produces the 4 Florin 10 Francs gold coins. The restrikes typically show the date as 1892.  Gold bullion investors are the primary buyers of the modern restrikes. The majority of the coins available in today’s bullion market are restrikes.

4 Florins Coin Highlights:

  • Composition: Gold
  • Fineness: 90%
  • Weight:  3.2258 grams
  • Actual Gold Weight: 0.0933 troy oz