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20 Francs
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907-1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Francs |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A standing Gallic rooster, the Coq Gaulois, faces left at the centre of the field, rendered with exceptional detail in its plumage, comb, and talons, standing upon a small flowering plant set amid grass. The denomination 20 and the abbreviation Fcs flank the rooster at lower left and lower right respectively, while the date appears in the exergue below. The Republican motto LIBERTE·EGALITE·FRATERNITE curves around the upper periphery of the coin. The entire design is framed by a beaded border consistent with the obverse. |
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| Additional information |
The "Coq" type, designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain, was the workhorse of French gold coinage in the last years before the Great War effectively ended domestic gold circulation. France was a signatory to the Latin Monetary Union, and these 20-franc pieces circulated interchangeably with equivalent gold issues from Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece — a genuine multinational currency decades before such a concept had a formal name.
By August 1914, the Banque de France suspended gold convertibility and the public was actively encouraged to exchange coin for paper. Most surviving examples never saw serious pocket wear for that reason.