Description
The French Angel is surrounded
by more mystique than perhaps any other coin in our line of European
Francs. Not only is it 90% pure gold, but its design is legendary for
its purported ability to bring luck to its owner.
Both investors and collectors love the French Angel 20 Franc gold
coin for its storied history, innate beauty, high gold content, and
relatively short mintage period.
Design
The Angel represented on the
obverse is the guardian angel Genius as she inscribes the French
Constitution upon a tablet next to a pillar and a rooster. The words
"REPUBLIQUE FRAN'AISE" are above the angel.
The reverse shows the denomination (20 FRANCS) and date encircled by
a wreath. The words 'LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE' appear between the
wreath and the rim.
Minting Information
The design of this
coin appeared on 20 Franc gold coins in three different periods. The
coins that Goldline offers were all minted between 1871 and 1898,
although several of those years yielded no 20 Franc Angels. The Angel
design was also briefly used for the 20 Franc in 1848-49 and again from
1899 to 1906, where the edge of the coins featured the inscription,
'DIEU PROT'G' LA FRANCE'. All French 20 Franc Angel gold coins were
minted in Paris.
Legend
The Angel design first appeared on
the 1 Louis D'Or in 1792. The designer of that coin, Augustine Dupre,
was sentenced to lose his head on the guillotine during the French
Revolution. According to legend, however, Dupre was able to bribe his
guard with the Angel coin he carried in his pocket and make his escape.
Legend also says that Napoleon Bonaparte always carried an early French
Angel in his pocket'until losing it the night before the fateful Battle
at Waterloo. This Battle marked the beginning of his downfall.
| Detailed Coin Information |
| Gross Weight: 6.4516g |
Gold Content: 0.1867 oz. |
| Composition: 90% Gold |
| Diameter: 21mm |
| Dates: 1871; 1874-79; 1886-1898 *(see explanation above)* |
| Mint: Paris |
