French 20 Franc
Napoleon III
Grade Range: AU/UNC+
Minted: 1852-1870
Actual Gold Content: .1867 oz.

French Napoleon III 20 Franc gold coins are among the most common historic European coins.  Given that they were the centerpiece of European trade during the early years of the Latin Monetary Union, they were minted in vast numbers and typically come heavily worn.  As such, we rarely offer them, simply because their relatively poor condition falls below our standards for products we can place confidently into the hands of our clientele.  Which is exactlly what makes this batch offered in our January special of particular note.  This group has been hand sorted to be of the highest quality, with all coins in superb AU/UNC/BU condition.  A true feat when it comes to Napoleon III 20 Franc coins.  

Historical Note:  Napoleon III was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and emperor of France from 1852 to 1870.  He was the elected president of the The Second Republic of France in 1848, a republic that ultimately lasted just three years. When it became evident the French Parliament would block his re-election bid in 1852, he promptly organized a coup in December 1851, seized power, re-wrote the constitution and declared himself emperor of France.  Just like that, the Second Republic of France had ended.  In an interesting historical side note, Emperor Napoleon III claimed the throne of the Second Empire of France on December 2nd 1852, 48 years to the day after his Uncle, Napoleon I was crowned.

Napoleon III strove to restore the glory of France to the lofty stature attained under his famous uncle, but his rule was undermined by a succession of political blunders including rifts with the Vatican over papal land and French industry over his free trade policy with England. In the Franco Prussian War of 1870, in part due to the disunity at home, he met defeat at the hands of the Prussians near Sedan. Within days, the weakened Napoleon III was unseated by a new revolution and he left France for England where he died in 1873, failing to restore the glory of Napoleonic France.