Obverse: identify the front

The reference portrait faces right without a laurel wreath. NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR surrounds the head and BARRE appears below. The imperial title is an important distinction from LOUIS-NAPOLEON BONAPARTE on the earlier president portrait. Read the full legend rather than treating every French male portrait as this type.

Reverse: identify the back

20 FRANCS and 1856 occupy the center of a wreath; EMPIRE FRANÇAIS surrounds it and A appears below. The numerical denomination is the useful first check. Later laureate types have a different imperial reverse, so this photograph is representative of the bare-head subgroup rather than every year.

History and purpose

PCGS separates the 1853–1860 bare-head group from the 1861–1870 laureate group. Both belong to Napoleon III’s twenty-franc classification. The presidency issue dated 1852 is cataloged separately. Preserving those distinctions helps identify inherited French gold without confusing a change in portrait or title with a change to the nominal gold standard.

How to identify this variant

Read 20 FRANCS, emperor title and date together, then check approximately 21 mm diameter and the 6.45161 g nominal standard. Identify the mint letter separately. A ten-franc coin is smaller and contains roughly half as much gold; its similar portrait cannot justify entering it as a twenty francs.

Understanding its metal content

The nominal calculation is 6.45161 g × 0.900 = 5.806449 g fine gold. Divide by 31.1034768 g per troy ounce to obtain approximately 0.186682 troy oz. The remaining tenth is alloy, not additional gold. A quantity of three represents approximately 0.560045 troy oz at standard weight. The theoretical metal amount is separate from a collector premium or buyer offer; it is not a measured assay of your specimen.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

Record whether the head is bare or laureate and verify the actual date/mint combination. The 1853–1870 endpoints do not mean every mint operated in every year. Preserve edge photographs and original holders if an attribution or variety affects value.

Melt value versus collector value

Date, mint, portrait type, condition and an unusual strike may warrant attention beyond nominal gold. Separate any pattern or striking error before using a normal-type reference. A brockage can show an incuse portrait where a normal denomination reverse belongs, which makes it unsuitable as the general reverse illustration.

Authenticity and condition

Use the actual denomination, both faces, date, mint details, edge, mass and diameter together. A plausible portrait or matching gold color is insufficient. Check an intact specimen with a suitable scale and caliper, keeping measurements separate from the nominal calculator. Worn, clipped, mounted or suspicious pieces need individual examination. Do not clean a coin or damage its edge to test it. These photographs identify representative designs; they do not authenticate a customer coin or assign a grade.

Selling this coin

Group the same denomination and type together, and record quantities, dates, mint marks and any original holders. Supply readable photographs of both faces and a separate edge view when inscriptions or damage matter. Request an appraisal for the actual lot rather than treating the nominal gold total as a guaranteed payment. Keep ten-unit gold, silver coins and replicas out of this entry. The collection calculator can combine separately identified coins while retaining each composition.

Sources and calculation methodology

The calculator retains the five-decimal twenty-unit nominal mass in Article 2 of the original 1865 monetary convention, reproduced in the Swedish parliamentary report. This is historical specification evidence, not current legal or tax guidance and not a claim that an earlier coin was first issued under that convention. Design and issue dates are checked separately against issuer or coin-type references. Shorter catalog weights and the photographed specimen’s condition are not substituted for the nominal standard. Original photograph licenses and transformations are recorded separately. No approved live gold-price feed is configured, so dollar melt values remain unavailable.

Common questions

References

• Original monetary convention, 23 December 1865: Article 2 — weight twenty-unit gold 6.45161 g; fineness 900 thousandths; diameter 21 mm; original shared nominal standard, not current law (checked 2026-10-10)
• PCGS: Napoleon III twenty-franc type classification — identity; dates bare-head 1853–1860 and laureate 1861–1870; design classification (checked 2026-10-10)

Issue-year references

• PCGS: bare-head Napoleon III twenty-franc dated issues
• PCGS: laureate Napoleon III twenty-franc dated issues

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

Related coins

French Marianne Rooster Gold 20 Francs

Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.

France • 90% gold; 10% alloy metal

Issue years: 1899–1914

Fine gold: 0.186682 troy oz

Add to collection