1871-1898 Gold French 20 Franc Angel Bullion Coin

Buy French Gold 20 Franc Angel Coins.

This is a great opportunity to buy these historic French gold coins.

• Struck in 0.900 gold fineness
• Contains 0.1867 troy ounce of gold
• VAT Free Investment Gold
• Our Choice of Date

This is sold as a bullion coin at a low premium above the gold spot price, the finish is uncirculated - this is not the grade. If you are looking for a dated or a graded coin please contact our showroom on 01253 343081.

Angel at Desk

The 'Angel at Desk' reverse on the 20F French coins issued between 1871-1898 was first depicted in 1791, following the 1789 revolution. The reverse depicts a winged figure writing the constitution of the new post-revolutionary France.

A legend sprang up around these 'angel coins' on account of a story of how the designer of the coin, Augustine Dupré, escaped execution during the Reign of Terror because the lucky ‘Guardian Angel’ on the coin that he was carrying in his pocket supposedly prevented the blade of the guillotine from falling!

The story is almost certainly apocryphal, not just because of the lack of reliable records supporting it and the incredible nature of the story, but also because the other Roman imagery in the design and the general anti-clerical secularism of the Revolution, suggests that the winged figure is more likely to be a representation of a Roman Genius (or ‘Spirit’ of something, as in the ‘Spirit of the Revolution’) rather than an ‘angel’.

Nevertheless, the legend took on a life of its own, and to possess a coin with an ‘angel’ on was considered to bring the owner good luck. Napoleon’s failure at Waterloo was attributed to his misplacing of the coin which had previously brought him luck on his campaigns.

Third French Republic

With the collapse of the Second French Empire in 1870, the new Third Republic resurrected the revolutionary-inspired design for the reverse of the gold 20F coin and maintained it until 1898. During the First World War, French soldiers often carried these as a talisman, and later, during the Second World War Herman Goering, the Head of the Luftwaffe, was said to have been obsessed by the luck that was allegedly inherent in these coins and looted as many as he could get hold of from occupied France to give to his ‘ace’ pilots to ensure that their luck would continue!

Winged Genius of the Revolution leaving against a column writing the the word 'Constitution', set above the signature of the engraver. With the Fasces (a Roman Republican symbol of authority) and a Rooster (the symbol of France) set on either side of the figure.

RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE

Designed by Henri-Auguste Patey, the engraving comprises the denomination and date set within a wreath, surrounded by the revolutionary legend:

LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ