Struck during the Directory period, this is one of the most typologically fragmented issues in French numismatics — "Union et Force" 5-franc coinage exists in so many die combinations that specialists have catalogued them across multiple Feyhl references. The specific pairing of a tight UNION spacing with an inner acorn above the date, an outer acorn at the wreath junction, and a small leaf places this squarely within a brief transitional window of production as the Paris mint worked through successive punch combinations.
The Directory itself collapsed in Brumaire Year VIII — November 1799 — meaning this coinage had fewer than three years of institutional backing before Napoleon's coup rendered the issuing government obsolete.
Struck during the Directory period, this is one of the most typologically fragmented issues in French numismatics — "Union et Force" 5-franc coinage exists in so many die combinations that specialists have catalogued them across multiple Feyhl references. The specific pairing of a tight UNION spacing with an inner acorn above the date, an outer acorn at the wreath junction, and a small leaf places this squarely within a brief transitional window of production as the Paris mint worked through successive punch combinations.
The Directory itself collapsed in Brumaire Year VIII — November 1799 — meaning this coinage had fewer than three years of institutional backing before Napoleon's coup rendered the issuing government obsolete.