5 Francs - Napoleon III small head

Napoleon III's Second Empire monetary reform of 1852 established the Latin Monetary Union's eventual gold standard framework, but the early "small head" portrait type — modeled by Albert-Désiré Barre — was replaced relatively quickly by the larger effigy type introduced from 1861 onward. The short production window of 1855–1860 accounts for the comparative scarcity of this variety against its successor.

Barre held the post of chief engraver at the Paris Mint from 1855 until his death in 1878.