Emperor Napoleon III was born Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte on 20 April 1808. His father, King Louis Bonaparte of Holland, was the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Following a coup, he was elected at the President of the Second Republic of France in 1848 and as the Emperor in 1852. There was no Napoleon II.

The 20 Franc coin is struck in 0.900 fineness. This was the common gold standard for coins during this period in Europe and America.

The edge is inscribed in raised lettering:

DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE.

If you are looking for a graded coin, please contact our team on 01253 343081 or by email at [email protected].

Obverse

This is the third type 20 Francs gold coin struck during the reign of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte III. The obverse bears a laureate portrait of the emperor designed by Désiré-Albert Barre, Chief Engraver at the Paris Mint. The coin bears the inscription:

NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR.

The engraver's name BARRE is in relief below the head.

Reverse

The reverse design by Désiré-Albert Barre bears the crowned shield bearing the arms of the Second French Empire of Napoleon III featuring an eagle with the divided value 20 FR. The inscription EMPIRE FRANCAIS are above the shield with the date below. The mint mark A or BB appears to the left of the date which varies depending on the coin.

The A mint mark shows that the coin has been struck in Paris, BB shows that it has been minted in Strasbourg.

Specification

Diameter	21mm
Weight	6.4516g
Alloy	21.6 carat gold
Fineness	0.900
Actual Gold Weight	0.1867 Troy oz
Obverse Designer	Désiré-Albert Barre
Reverse Designer	Désiré-Albert Barre
Mint	Varies
Mintage	Varies depending on year
Finish	Uncirculated

2024 Christmas Opening Hours and Despatch Dates

General

Tuesday 24th December 2024 - Phone lines 9:30 - 14:00 (Last showroom appointment 12:00pm - Collections Only).
Wednesday 25th December 2024 - Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Closed (Urgent enquiries will still be answered during this time).
Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas – Wednesday 18th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December.

Internationals

Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th.

New Year

First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.

Orders under £60

Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.

Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

Lisa Geraghty

“Quick reliable service.”

23 hours ago

Phil Graham

“Very efficient.”

a day ago

Manjula Kurni

“Ordering and receiving the product was on time not an issue You should make it recorded delivery as they have left it in the postbox ”

Dean

“Reliable and trustworthy. Thanks for the 60th birthday piece of rock - I almost broke a tooth checking if there was a free Sovereign inside.... Read More”

Richard

“1st Class professional service as always..”

Mr ian ditchburn

“Really good price and the coins are in great condition, super fast delivery. ”

Uhtred13

“As is usual with Chards, their communication on coin availability & speed of delivery was excellent. I was very satisfied.”

Peter Rizzo

“Very good price. Quick delivery”

Ben

“Excellent service, I just wish others could take notes on how it should be done! ”

Alan

“The website was very easy to use. The coin was well packaged and arrived after 3 days, overall a good experience”

2 days ago

1861- 1870 Gold French 20 Franc Bullion Shield Coin