French Napoleonic Anniversary Coins

Just had my first order from the French Mint. Lovely coins, and I am a big Napoleon/Napoleonic person.

#1 2004 200th anniversary of his coronation
#2 2005 200th anniversary of the battle of Austerlitz

They are 22.2g or .8 oz
37mm or 1.46in
90% silver
Proof and about $50 american incl shipping if interested

http://www.monnaiedeparis.com/

 

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I feel a much needed addition to my xmas wants list coming on they look great will now go for a look at the french mint

De Orc

 

The French mint produces exceedingly nice coins these days, and these two are no exceptions. I am envious, but only up to a point. My problem with the French mint is that along with other prolific coin producting countries like Austria and the Isle of Man, they are really milking the collectors coins market for every eurocent they can possibly get.

The reason they are able to produce such fine coinage is due in the main part to the amount of practise they get. Lets face it, there is no shortage of `commemorative' coins to choose from from that particular source. I'm going to hold off for the `what Brigit Bardot had for breakfast 20 years ago today' series. I'm pretty sure that someone at La Monnaie will come up with the idea soon.

That aside, these are still VERY nice coins. Almost photographic in nature and quality. All that practise is paying off!

Ian

 

I once saw nude medals or something displayed on the French Mint website.
Not that I looked at it but even if France uses a third world language, a picture says a thousand words that we all can understand.

As for the Napoleon coins. I think that they are great and have debated if they fit into my collection or not.
Not that it should matter for those coins can stand by themselves.

Nice pick up, glaciermi and thanks for sharing.

 

Something I didn't know

Napoleon's Height

Although known as the Little Corporal, Napoleon Bonaparte was in fact of average height for the era. In French measure he stood 5 foot two inches (or 5 foot six inches in the British equivalent). This is about 168 centimetres.

courtesy http://www.napoleonguide.com/ashotshell.htm

 

Ian, surely you don't mean the Great Wines of Bordeaux is a nonsensical series of medals do you?

The RCM and USM are just about in the same league these days, milking collectors for every last pfennig. Occasionally I see nice stuff and even less occasionally I might buy something from the RCM but that is when the moon is in a full blue phase.

 

The mints are starting to look like the postage services of the world that would print anything to find any targeted consumer group.

I have heard over the years that Napoleon was of average height for his time and that he was shorten as then British revisionist history to demeanor him as a person and therefore demeanor his legacy. Not the first time that would have been done. Shakespeare wrote many plays that catered not to history but to the ruling class of his day. Not that he had much choice!
Darn royals.

 

Guess you mean the exhibition "Le nu et la médaille":
http://www.monnaiedeparis.fr/actualite/Expointro.htm

Apart from the introductory text, you can understand the descriptions even in case you do not speak French. And of course they let you order the exhibits - what a great "exhibition". Well, like many other mints the Monnaie de Paris sells all kinds of products these days. And it does issue too many coins in my opinion. Even worse, you have to pay far more than face for each piece.

But I did and will buy a few that I find nice. For example, I also have the Napoleon/Code Civil coin, but I am not really into coins with battle themes, so I did not get the Austerlitz coin (and not any of the British Trafalgar pieces either). The Bartholdi coin (Statue of Liberty, Belfort Lion) I have, and also the almost identical British and French "Entente Cordiale" coins.

Christian

 

"I also have the Napoleon/Code Civil coin,..." Christian.

I missed,overlooked, that issue. Will look it up.

 

No need to, it is the first one depicted here. I just find the "Code Civil" side of that coin to be more interesting than the "Coronation" side.

Edit: Another interesting coin could be next year's Benjamin Franklin piece(s). Both the US and France plan to issue commems on that occasion.

Christian

 

I received both these beautiful coins in the mail last night, but when i opened the first jewel box the plastic capsule was not shut, the two halves just loose, I ended up touching the bare side of the proof coin as i picked it up to look at it. I looked hard for any damage i may have done, but didn't see any. Both coins were packaged the same.

Is this typical?

 

On all the recent French coins I have bought from MDP, I have noticed that the packaging is fancy until you get to the actual coin holder, then it is flimsy in my opinion.

 

Does anyone here collect the Napoleon gold 20 or 40 francs?

 

Same here as far as I remember. Some mints almost seal their proof pieces, ie. even if you want to open the holder, it is almost impossible. The Monnaie de Paris holders, on the other hand, seem to be leaning towards the loose side ...

Christian

 

Strange!, I thought the French hate this guy for loosin the war and putting the country in caos???they even put him on a island to die poor!!Now make a coin? What am I missin here??

 

the French hate Napoleon...... au contraire.

 

I don't think it was the French who put him on that island.

Christian

 

no honestly I believe the French revere Napoleon as much as the U.S. does anyone of our Mount Rushmore presidents. The Napoleonic period was France's high-water mark and golden age. Although his later years he was consumed with war and conquest which generally give him the stamp of the beast, the first half of his reign showed his work-aholic genius at it's brightest. He brought France into the forefront of the 19th century, his Napoleonic Code and overall civic policies are still used in some form or another world wide. He is considered the father of modern nationalism in Europe, whisking away the old regimes and placing Europe in a new era.

He died on the island of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic. A prisoner of the British government. This was so that he had no way to return to France.

 

Napoleon is like a greek tradgey, what drove him to greatness also led to his destruction. I sometimes wonder what the face of Europe would have been and how history would have been different if he never went into Russia, didn't challenge the british for control of the seas, at least not right away, and was content with implementing his code with contential europe, russia excluded.
There are some great websites showing napoleonic coins. When I get a chance at home, I will post them if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

 

oh I'd love to see..

personally I only have 3

an 1811 F.307 5 franc Napoleon, an 1808 F.130 10 centime (thank you) , and an 1812 Russian Kopek, but I am very happy to own all three