My first French gold coin

As I've mentioned before, I sold almost all of my older and more valuable (pre-Victoria, i.e. Elizabeth I - William IV) British gold coins some years ago, but still own about 20 of them -- mostly kept in a safe deposit box -- as well as one Prussian 10 marks coin and a gold $50 piece from the Bahamas. Also, within the last year I've bought four ancient gold coins, two solidi and two aurei. (See the Ancient Coins forum, where I've posted about all of them.)

But I've never had a French gold coin before, even though my paternal grandfather was born in Paris, his parents lived there for a number of years in the 1880s on their way from Eastern Europe to the USA, and a couple of branches of my mother's family lived in Alsace for a couple of hundred years after it became part of France in 1648. Whereas my only direct connection with Great Britain is that my mother spent most of World War II there. So I finally ordered a couple. One of them has arrived. I've wanted one of these for a while, not only because I like the design, but because Marianne was my mother's name.

France, Third Republic, AU (.900 fineness) 10 Francs, 1911, Paris Mint. Obv. Laureate bust of Marianne right, wearing oak-wreath encircling Phrygian cap (cap of liberty), REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE around, initials J.C.C. in lower right field [for engraver Jules-Clément Chaplain] / Rev. Gallic rooster walking left in meadow of flowers, LIBERTE·EGALITE·FRATERNITE around, 10 - Fcs across fields; in exergue, 1911 flanked by privy marks of cornucopiae to left and torch to right (representing Mint Director and Chief Engraver, respectively). 19 mm., 3.2 g. Gadoury 1017, KM (Krause-Mishler) 846, Yeoman 65.



I was tempted to buy a gold 20 Francs coin, which has the same design, but the nicest ones I saw (from the 1907-1914 period) are mostly restrikes, and I decided instead to buy an original coin actually struck in the year indicated, at a considerably lower price.

Please post your French gold coins, from any period. When the rest of what I ordered arrives, I will post it.

 

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Nice pick up @DonnaML <3

 

Nice one @DonnaML ! I love French Roosters. I picked up a few French gold coins when gold was much cheaper than it is now.

 

A nice snag, Donna.

I love the Art Nouveau style of the obverse.

That style is reflected in this work by Leon Solon, who designed the entry to Rockefeller Center.

 

Wow. Those are all gorgeous. I'm old enough to remember when you could buy a nice gold solidus for under $200!

 

I had 1 of those gold coins once. Sold it during hard times. I will get it back maybe next year. Great design both sides.

 

I've not had the pleasure of owning any French gold yet, but I ran across this awhile ago and found it really interesting, so I bought it. It's an early 1900's brass tube made to hold 50 of the French gold 20 Franc coins. I would imagine these are probably scarce, as a tube of 50 would have been a substantial amount of money at the time.

 

Very Nice rooster

 

Lovely coin, nice pick-up! I want one of those...

 

The 10 francs are much scarcer than the 20s. Nice coin of Gaul.

 

Does anyone know what the flower underneath the rooster is supposed to be?

 

This one is an old piece from Napoleon

 

Only reference I could find just said "Gallic rooster walking on meadow of flowers." No mention of flower type.

 

Thank you.

 

One interesting note is that the France Marianne-Rooster coin appeared on a French World War One poster.


French World War One poster with coin

The poster shows a French gold coin attacking a German soldier.
It was designed by Abel Faivre in 1915 and reads:
"Pour la France VERSEZ VOTRE OR" (For France, DONATE YOUR GOLD)
"L'Or Combat Pour La Victoire" (The Gold Fights for Victory)

A work of art becomes part of another work of art.

 

Nice coin Donna France is my second best Country/ after German States in my collection. I just picked up a AV 20 Francs/ Marianne/ Coq from WGI Auction for 340 euros.
another Louis Napoleon III

 

One thing I've noticed from the numerous 1907-1914 gold 20 francs coins (presumably restrikes) that many of you have posted: they seem to be in much higher relief than my 10 francs piece and others I've seen, as well as some of the pre-1907 "original" 20 francs strikes I've looked through. But I'm happy with mine anyway! It took a while to find one that didn't have several noticeable scratches, or what I believe are called "bag marks." Which many of the 20 francs coins have as well.

 

Restrikes are beautiful but I’m with you @DonnaML on preferring the originals. I got lucky and bought this one raw and had it graded. Used to be a solo top pop but I just looked it up and 3 more have joined the party so 4/0. Sorry for the quick crappy pics.

 

My first 2 were restrikes obviously (1907 and 1911) but I wanted an original and lucked into the 1905.