50 Francs - Napoleon III

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.