Thread: France.

Hallo, fellows!
I'm glad to share my French coins with you. Also, I'll be glad if you join me and share your French coins with us.
Now let me tell you about an old French monetary system...

will get around to posting my french collection which is huge.........

This is the French monetary system of XVII-XVIII centuries.
Diner was a least of face values of coins.
3 diners = 1 liard.
4 liards = 1 sou.
20 sous = 1 livre.
3 livres = 1 ec; 10 livres = 1 pistol.
2 pistoles = 1 louis d'or; 4 pistoles = 1 quadruple.

Here is a copper liard 1657. This coin were minted during the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715).

This is a copper liard 1778. The reign of Louis XVI (1774-1792).

12 diners 1793. This coin equaled to 1 sou. Louis XVI was executed at January 1793, but coins with his portrait were minted until the end of 1793.

At September 21 1792 the First Republic was proclaimed. Since June 2 1793 until July 27 1794 the Jacobine's Dictatorship was in France. After the anti-Jacobine mutiny (July 27 1794) a bourgeois republican regime was established.
This coin were minted during that regime. This is an one decime of l' An 5 (the Fifth year of Republic or 1796).

The First Republic was annuled at May 18 1804 when Napoleon I became the French emperor. During the next 10 years he struggled against Russia, Prussia, Austria, UK and some other European countries and lost. His main mistake was the war on the Russian territory in 1812: his great army has frozen in the severe Russian winter.
Our soldiers didn't scared a frost. They simply drove thermophilic Frenchmen on snow-covered road from Moscow to border. And Frenchmen simply died of a cold.
Napoleon I lost his pan-European war and was overthrowed at 1814. Lous XVIII de Bourbon became the French king.

What I also find interesting is that Russia, the US and France were the first countries that went decimal. France (re-)introduced the franc, as the base of a decimal currency, in 1795. A little later, in 1803, Napoleon (then First Consul of the Republic) introduced the Franc Germinal. The name is derived from the month when the according act, which created a gold and silver standard for the franc, became law. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nsul_An_XI.jpg

200 years later both Belgium and France issued collector coins that honored this Franc Germinal:
(Belgium) http://www.muenzen-shops.de/witte/pic/00000154.jpg
(France/rev) http://www.lemonete.com/index/catalo...inal-retro.jpg
(France/obv) http://www.lemonete.com/index/catalo...nal-fronte.jpg

Christian

At March 19 1815 Napoleon I returned on the throne. But his second reign was about 100 days only. At June 22 1815 he was overthrowed at the second time. And Louis XVIII became a French king again. His reign wasn't very long, 'cos he was an old man. Louis XVIII died at 1824 and his brother became the new king as Charles X.
At July 1830 the bourgeois revolution started in Paris. At August 2 1830 Charles X abdicated from his throne. You may see these events in the French movie "Vidocq" with the one of the greatest world actors Gerard Depardieu. It is the one of the best historical detective stories, as I suppose.

Luis-Philippe I became the new French king. It was a bourgeois monarchy with not very strong royal power. If you interesting in that period of French history - you may read the book "The count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas.
But here is a 5-francs coin of Louis-Philippe . Silver .900, weight - 25 g.

Louis-Philippe I was overthrowed at February 24 1848. The Second Republic was proclaimed. Louis-Napoleon became the French president. He was a nephew of Napoleon I.
At November 7 1852 the Second Republic was annuled and at December 2 1852 Louis-Napoleon became the French emperor as Napoleon III.

The Second Republic.
1 centime 1848, bronze, mintage - 8615000 pcs. Paris Mint.

The Second Republic.
5 francs 1850, silver .900, weight - 25 g., mintage - 14619000 pcs. Paris Mint. It seems alike a "Morgan dollar", isn't it?

Napoleon III was the French emperor durin the 1852-1870. It was rather strange man. For example: he took part in Crimean War against Russia (1853-1856) and lost 100000 soldiers. During the Civil War (1861-1865) Napoleon III wanted to render the military help of Confederacy (but Russian Government of tsar Alexander II have threatened to declare to Frenchmen war if they attack the USA. And Napoleon III refused from his gamble).
At 1864-1867 Napoleon III took part in Mexican adventure with emperor Maximillian I von Habsburg and lost.
At 1870 France lost the war against Prussia and Napoleon III was overthrowed.