France gave the modern world the decimal coinage system: the franc décimal of 1795, the bimetallic germinal standard of 1803 (one 5-franc silver piece = 25 g at .900 fine), the 1960 nouveau franc (100 old francs = 1 new), and finally the euro in 2002 at a fixed rate of 1 € = 6.55957 francs. Three designs — the Napoléon 20 francs, the Hercule 5 francs and Roty’s Semeuse — anchor two centuries of French collecting.
Denominations
1 Franc “Semeuse” — Silver (1898–1920)
- Issued: 1898–1920, the classic Third Republic silver franc; the 50-centime Semeuse began in 1897 and the 2-franc Semeuse ran 1898–1920.
- Composition: .835 fine silver, 5 g, 23 mm.
- Design: Oscar Roty’s Sower (la Semeuse) striding against a rising sun — the definitive Art Nouveau coin design, drawn from the revolutionary imagery of the Republic sowing enlightenment.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
5 Francs “Hercule” (1848–1878)
- Issued: 1848–1878, the Second Republic’s great silver crown and the design revived for the famous 1960s–70s 10-franc pieces.
- Composition: .900 fine silver, 25 g, 37 mm.
- Design: Augustin Dupré’s Hercules standing between Liberty and Equality — the muscular allegory of the revolutionary Republic.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
20 Francs Gold — the “Napoléon” (1803–1914)
- Issued: 1803–1914, the workhorse gold coin of the Latin Monetary Union era, circulating across Europe and the Mediterranean.
- Composition: .900 fine gold, 6.45 g, 21 mm, 0.1867 oz AGW.
- Key dates and types (verified only): the First Empire issues of Napoléon I, including pieces dated in the Revolutionary calendar; Napoléon III’s Second Empire issues in bare head (1853–1860) and laureate head (1861–1870) types; and Louis-Oscar Chaplain’s “Marianne Rooster” (coq) type of 1899–1914, the beloved final gold type of the Third Republic.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.
1 Franc — Nouveau Franc (1960–2001)
- Issued: 1960–2001, a 41-year run — the last French franc denomination struck before the euro.
- Composition: nickel, 6 g, 24 mm.
- Design: Roty’s Semeuse reused for the new franc, giving the design a continuous century of service from the 1890s to the euro changeover.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
Euro coins (2002–present)
- Issued: struck with dates 1999–2001 ahead of the 2002 circulation launch.
- Design: France’s national sides draw on the Semeuse — modernized by Laurent Jorio for the 10, 20 and 50-cent coins — alongside the Marianne and the Tree of Liberty.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing.
Bullion & modern issues
The 20-franc Napoléon is France’s bullion-adjacent coin: a fixed .1867 oz of gold that trades in the same breath as sovereigns and 20-mark pieces, with the Marianne Rooster the most liquid subtype. France has no standalone modern bullion wiki entry in this guide.
In this wiki:
Value: Check live sold listings on the linked guide before buying or pricing. For metal value, use the melt calculator.
Values move; always check live sold listings on the linked guides. Key dates and high-value pieces require authentication.
French collecting divides cleanly into the silver crowns (Hercule, Semeuse) and the gold Napoléons — buy the silver for the designs, buy the 20 francs for the gold weight, and never confuse the two. The Semeuse is the one design that spans the whole modern era, silver franc to nickel franc to euro cent, which makes it the natural first French type set. For values, work from the linked entries’ live sold listings; the 20 francs also tracks the gold spot via the melt calculator.
Europe Red Book v2 research chapter, published September 15, 2026. Values are intentionally excluded; use authenticated sold-market evidence.