Napoleon III French Gold 20 Francs
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
France • 90% gold; 10% alloy metal
Issue years: 1853–1870
Fine gold: 0.186682 troy oz
France • 20 French francs
French Marianne Rooster Gold 20 Francs
French Marianne Rooster Gold 20 Francs is a .900 gold twenty-unit coin. The nominal monetary standard is 6.45161 g gross, 5.806449 g fine gold and approximately 0.186682 troy oz. Marianne faces the viewer’s right on the obverse, and a standing rooster appears on the reverse. The illustrated 1908 coin establishes the twenty-franc design and face date; its date alone does not establish when the specimen was struck.
Aquinassixthway; CC0; resized WebP; paired photograph separated · Image source · CC0 — photograph license
Aquinassixthway; CC0; resized WebP; paired photograph separated · Image source · CC0 — photograph license
When a fresh spot bid is available, melt values use fine-metal content × spot bid. CashForCoins guide buying offers use the separately configured percentage for each metal. Selected rare/numismatic coins require an appraisal. Dollar amounts remain unavailable when a fresh quote or buying percentage is missing.
Verified coin specifications
- Country
- France
- Face denomination
- 20 French francs
- Composition
- 90% gold; 10% alloy metal
- Gross weight (grams)
- 6.45161
- Fineness
- 0.9
- Diameter (mm)
- 21
- Edge
- Lettered; legend changes by date
- Mint
- Paris Mint; facility or issue varies
- Mint mark
- None on normal circulation type
- Issue years
- 1899–1914
The twenty-franc dated circulation sequence is continuous. Official restrikes retain dates 1907–1914, so a face date does not prove the manufacturing year. The edge legend changes in 1907.
- Source precision
- Original convention nominal standard 6.45161 g, .900 gold, 21 mm. Swissmint displays 6.452 g and PCGS examples display 6.4516 g; these are shorter reference precisions. No fine-ounce override is invented. Earlier issue identity and design are independently classified, rather than attributed retroactively to the 1865 treaty.
Calculate this coin’s metal content
Formula: gross grams × fineness ÷ 31.1034768 × quantity. Dollar melt value additionally requires an approved current metal price.
Obverse: identify the front
Marianne wears a cap and a wreath. REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE surrounds the portrait. Compare the complete circular legend and rim with the reference, keeping scratches and reflected light separate from the engraved design.
Reverse: identify the back
The rooster stands between 20 and FCS, with 1908 below. LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE follows the rim. Read 20 before choosing a calculator entry: the ten-franc rooster has a similar subject but half the nominal gold standard.
History and purpose
The dated circulation series runs from 1899 through 1914. Official later restrikes retain earlier face dates. This makes a distinction between the engraved year, the minting event and an individual specimen’s provenance useful when describing a coin for appraisal.
How to identify this variant
Confirm Marianne and rooster, 20 FCS, the face date and approximately 21 mm diameter. The Paris circulation type has no mint letter. Gold color or the rooster alone cannot distinguish a correct denomination, a reproduction or an altered specimen.
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
The edge wording changes with the dated subgroup in 1907. Capture the full edge rather than inferring its wording from the two face photographs. A 1907–1914 date can occur on an official restrike, so retain provenance and avoid describing every dated piece as an original contemporary strike.
Melt value versus collector value
Preservation, proof or pattern status and documented originality can matter beyond gold content. An attractive uncirculated surface does not establish either originality or a guaranteed premium. Ask for an individual assessment when the coin differs from an ordinary circulation reference.
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
Does a 1908 date prove my Rooster was struck in 1908?
No. Official restrikes exist with earlier dates. The face date is a design identifier; actual striking and provenance require separate evidence.
Do ten-franc and twenty-franc Roosters contain the same gold?
No. Their designs are similar, but the ten-franc denomination is approximately half the nominal gold of the twenty francs.
Does the calculator include a collector premium?
No. It calculates nominal fine gold. Dollar melt requires an approved price feed, and collectible value or an offer requires a separate assessment.
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: French Rooster gold ten- and twenty-franc issues — identity; dates 1899–1914; design Marianne/Rooster; Paris no mint mark; official restrikes and 1907 edge change; shortened reference weight 6.4516 g and .900 gold (checked 2026-10-10)
Issue-year references
Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-10. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.
Related coins
Swiss Vreneli Gold 20 Francs
Photo credits and rights on the linked coin profile.
Switzerland • 90% gold; 10% alloy metal
Issue years: 1897–1916, 1922, 1925–1927, 1930, 1935, 1947, 1949
Fine gold: 0.186682 troy oz
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