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50 Francs - Napoleon III
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862-1868 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 2.2 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of Napoleon III facing right, wearing a laurel wreath with a ribbon tie visible at the nape of the neck. The emperor is depicted with his characteristic imperial beard and moustache, rendered in high relief in the neoclassical style. The encircling legend reads NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR, with the engraver's signature BARRE inscribed in small capitals beneath the bust truncation, preceded by a six-pointed star. A fine toothed border frames the entire obverse. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | 1862 A - KM# 804.1 - 24,418 1862 BB - KM# 804.2 - 7,310 1863 BB - KM# 804.2 - 8,251 1864 A - KM# 804.1 - 28,682 1865 A - KM# 804.1 - 3,740 1866 A - KM# 804.1 - 39,155 1866 BB - KM# 804.2 - 17,307 1867 A - KM# 804.1 - 1867 BB - KM# 804.2 - 20,437 1868 A - KM# 804.1 - 15,894 1868 BB - KM# 804.2 - |
| Additional information |
Napoleon III's 50-franc piece occupied an awkward commercial position from the start — large enough to be inconvenient for daily transactions, too small for major mercantile settlements, it circulated primarily among bankers and notaries. Production ran through the 1860s alongside France's active participation in the Latin Monetary Union negotiations, which were concluded in 1865 and would ultimately standardize gold coinage across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy.
The Paris mint's output varied considerably year to year across this span. The 1868 issues are notably scarcer, struck in the final months before the political pressures that would culminate in the Franco-Prussian War began disrupting normal financial operations.