Featured When photos can't do it justice: exquisitely toned silver franc of Napoleon Bonaparte

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by The Meat man, Dec 22, 2025 at 11:42 PM.

  1. The Meat man

    The Meat man Supporter! Supporter

    What do redwood trees, the interior of the Hagia Sophia, and my new coin have in common?

    Photos can’t do it justice. ;)

    Having recently taken an interest in Napoleonic history, I’ve been keeping a lookout for nice coins of that time. This silver franc caught my eye in a recent CNG auction. I could see it had great detail and also looked like it had some decent toning. The auction house described it as AU with “beautiful deep and iridescent toning”. My bid was successful and I bought the coin. Here’s CNG’s picture:

    827_1.jpg ​

    As nice as it looked in the auction house photo, when the coin arrived I was amazed how much better it was in real life. The toning is spectacular, brilliant and flashy. I spent some time photographing it, trying to capture the full beauty of it. Here's the best I could do.

    Napoleon 1808 AR franc.jpg
    FIRST FRENCH EMPIRE
    Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor, 1804-1814, 1815
    AR Franc (23.1mm, 4.90g, 6h)
    Dated 1808. Paris mint, France
    Obverse: NAPOLEON EMPEREUR., laureate bust of Napoleon Bonaparte right, engraver’s signature below
    References: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. around wreath containing 1 FRANC. in two lines; date flanked by mintmarks below
    References: Numista 6717
    Mintage: 4,598,835
    Near-mint state and exquisitely toned. From the Alexander Christopher Collection.
    ​

    With a coin like this, a video is the best way to show it. Check out those mirror-like surfaces!

    ​


    Now for the history behind the coin...

    * * * * * * * * * * *​


    NAPOLEON BONAPARTE is without question one of the greatest and most influential figures in modern history. His military genius is legendary and unsurpassed; over the course of his career he personally fought 60 battles and won all but seven of them. As a civil administrator he helped shape the modern world through his energetic policies promoting meritocracy, equality before the law, education, religious freedom, scientific advancement, and more.

    Jacques-Louis_David_-_The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
    Napoleon Bonaparte in his study at the Tuileries. [By Jacques-Louis David - zQEbF0AA9NhCXQ at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22174172]    ​


    Born in 1769 on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Napoleon received his formal education in mainland France, becoming an artillery officer in the French Royal Army at the age of 16. When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, Napoleon joined the cause and achieved several notable victories against the royalists. In 1798 he launched an invasion of Egypt, more famous today for its scientific and archaeological discoveries than for its military significance. Napoleon returned to France a popular hero in 1799, seized control of the government in a bloodless coup, and became Premier Consul, and later Emperor, of France.

    Jacques-Louis_David_-_The_Coronation_of_Napoleon_(1805-1807) (2)_resize.jpg
    The Coronation of Napoleon. [By Jacques-Louis David / Georges Rouget - art database, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=546742]    ​


    Napoleon ruled as an “enlightened despot” and was extremely popular with the people, not only for his great military victories but also for his effective and efficient administration. Napoleon brought an end to the chaos of the Revolution, reestablished law and order in the countryside, promoted education in both science and the arts, revised and updated the legal code, extended religious freedom to minorities, and brought prosperity to millions of middle-class Frenchmen.

    Debret_-_Premiere_distribution_des_decorations_de_la_Legion_d'honneur.jpg
    First remittance of the Légion d'Honneur, 15 July 1804, at Saint-Louis des Invalides, by Jean-Baptiste Debret, 1812 [By Jean-Baptiste Debret - Joconde database: entry 000PE004980, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=304369    ​


    Unfortunately for Napoleon, the nature of his rise to power, his love of conquest, and the threat he posed to the entrenched monarchical systems throughout Europe ensured that no European power was prepared to recognize his rule as legitimate. In twelve years he faced down and defeated five coalitions formed against him; a sixth was formed after his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 left his army decimated.

    Napoleons_retreat_from_Moscow_by_Adolph_Northen.jpg
    Napoleon’s retreat from Russia. [By Adolph Northen - [1][2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=298121]    ​


    This coalition, comprised of the combined forces of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia, and assorted German states, finally succeeded in driving Napoleon to defeat, abdication, and exile to the island of Elba in 1814.

    MoshkovVI_SrazhLeypcigomGRM.jpg
    Battle of Leipzig, October 16-19, 1813. The largest battle in European history prior to World War I. [By Vladimir Moshkov - From http://lj.rossia.org/users/john_petrov/605281.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1398108]
    ​

    However, news of general dissatisfaction with the newly restored Bourbon monarchy, together with financial problems and a natural restlessness in his confinement, all induced Napoleon to make one last gamble for power. In 1815 he secretly escaped from Elba with a thousand men, landed in France, and began a march on Paris, his little force growing rapidly as thousands of soldiers and commanders defected to their former Emperor.



    Napoleon took the capital without firing a shot on March 19. Six days later, the Seventh Coalition was formed against him, and on June 18 the two sides faced each other for one final, titanic battle near Waterloo, Belgium.

    Battle_of_Waterloo_1815.png
    Battle of Waterloo. [By William Sadler - Napoleon.org.pl, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15176449]
    ​

    After hours of bitter fighting, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Napoleon surrendered, was taken into custody by the British, and exiled to the remote island of St. Helena, where he remained until his death in 1821.


    * * * * * * * * * *​

    Thanks for taking a look! I hope you enjoy the coin and the little historical writeup. Feel free to comment and/or post your own coins of "the Little Corporal", coins of the Napoleonic era, coins that surprised you when you got them in hand, or anything else relevant!
     
    The Meat man, Dec 22, 2025 at 11:42 PM
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  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Very handsome coin from a very historic era and person!

    Here is a medal from his 1840 funeral in Paris, when they brought his remains back to France from Saint Helena. So he went into exile twice and also had a funeral twice. The reverse of this scarce gilt medal shows his original tomb on Saint Helena.

    France: gilt bronze specimen medal by Antoine Bovy, for Napoleon Bonaparte's 1840 Paris funeral
    [​IMG]
    Obverse: uniformed, bare headed bust of Napoleon Bonaparte left.
    Reverse: scene of Napoleon's original memorial on the island of Saint Helena.
    Issuer: engraved by Swiss-French medalist Antoine Bovy (1795-1877).
    Specifications: Gilt bronze, 41 mm. Plain edge. Struck in 1840.
    Grade: PCGS SP64; cert. #32592814.
    Reference: PCGS-544441, Bramsen-1990 gilt bronze, special strike.
    Provenance: ex-Mark Engelstad ("thebigeng" on Collectors Universe), 15 June 2019.
    Notes: After Napoleon's final defeat in the wars that bear his name, he was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, which is situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He died and was buried there in 1821. In 1840, his remains were exhumed and returned to France, where they were eventually laid to rest in the Dôme des Invalides in Paris. This repatriation of the remains was called le retour des cendres , meaning "the return of the ashes". (This simply meant his mortal remains and not literal ashes, as Napoleon was not cremated.) This triumphal return of France's dead hero and his 1840 Paris funeral was the occasion of the striking of these medals, and this particular piece was a special gilt specimen of a type that was usually issued in plain bronze.
    Comments: The size of this medal is impressive, as is the flashiness of its gilt surfaces, but what is especially striking is the very high relief. It is quite attractive in hand and is housed in a double-thickness PCGS holder.* Some people have been confused by the "Bramsen-1990" catalog number on the label, believing that to be a date, and the medal thereby to be a restrike. This is not the case. While Bramsen variety #1990 is a posthumous Napoleonic medal, it is an original specimen striking from 1840, not a modern restrike.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2025 at 4:41 AM
    lordmarcovan, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:12 AM
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  4. Collecting Nut

    Collecting Nut Borderline Hoarder

    Your post and the coin makes me want to go out and buy one of these coins. :)
     
    Collecting Nut, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:14 AM
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  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    PS- those flashy prooflike fields on your coin really pop in that video!

    My medal is similarly prooflike (it IS a specimen strike, after all). I used to have an animated GIF of it, but that seems to have been lost.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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  6. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    Hey guys! I have a button that I found while metal detecting. It's got silver wash and on the back, it says "The Battle of Waterloo 1815" and a cool pictorial with drum/ sticks, musical notes and some "fancy" on it. I believe it is an 1800's commemorative button. COOL, huh? SilverButtonback.jpg SilverButtonFront.jpg
     
    SensibleSal66, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:47 AM
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  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Oh yes, I remember that now. It was indeed an EXTREMELY cool find. You are correct that it is a 19th century commemorative button, and I daresay it's from that era; not long after Waterloo happened. That style of flat button was in use at the time. I find it interesting that they so often had the designs on the back of the button, where no one would see them if they were sewn on a garment! This was the case with some early political buttons as well.
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:49 AM
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  8. SensibleSal66

    SensibleSal66 U.S Casual Collector / Error Collector

    I like it because it spells out history. Not monetarily. ;)
     
    SensibleSal66, Dec 23, 2025 at 12:51 AM
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  9. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic numismatist Moderator

    Oh! I found that GIF. It's not great, but...

    [​IMG]
     
    lordmarcovan, Dec 23, 2025 at 4:39 AM
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