🇫🇷 France · The Decimal Revolution
Old French silver coins — from the écu to the franc.
France didn't just produce silver coins — France set the metric weight standard for European silver and was among the first Western nations to adopt decimal coinage in 1795, giving the world the meter, the gram, and the silver standard that became the basis for half of Europe's monetary unions. The story runs from Louis XIV's écu through Napoleon's francs to the modern Eiffel Tower commemoratives.
1795
First decimal franc — one of the world's first national decimal silver coinages (the “germinal” standard followed in 1803)
25 g
Gross weight of the 5 francs Hercule (.900 fine = ~22.5 g pure silver), the workhorse French silver coin of the 19th century (struck 1795–1889, with gaps)
1865
France led the Latin Monetary Union, fixing silver standards across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy
1928
France abandons silver in regular circulation; commemorative silver continues to today
The story
French silver coinage falls into four distinct eras. Each one was driven by a political revolution, and each one set a different international standard.
1. Ancien Régime (pre-1795). Silver écus and louis d'or under the Bourbon kings. The écu was France's silver dollar — ~27g of silver, comparable in size and value to the Spanish 8 reales. After the Revolution overthrew Louis XVI, the écu was abolished along with the entire feudal monetary system.
2. Decimal franc (1795–1928). The Convention introduced the decimal franc in Year III–IV of the Republic (1795): 100 centimes = 1 franc. Napoleon's law of 7 Germinal An XI (1803) then fixed the durable "franc germinal" standard of 5 grams of silver per franc. The 5 francs piece (the Hercule) ran on essentially the same weight standard for decades — one of the longest-lived silver standards in modern history.
3. Latin Monetary Union (1865–1927). France led a multinational silver pact with Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. Coins from any participating nation were legal tender in any other. The 5-franc / 5-lira / 5-Belgian-franc / 5-Swiss-franc were all interchangeable at face value. This was the closest the world ever came to a Continental European single currency before the euro — and it lasted 62 years before silver-standard collapses ended it.
4. Modern commemoratives (1960–). The franc came off silver in 1928 but commemorative silver coinage continued. The 1989 Eiffel Tower 5 francs (centennial) and modern Monnaie de Paris commemoratives like the 2019 Notre-Dame de Paris (struck shortly after the fire) keep silver in French numismatic culture.
Iconic French silver coins
5 Francs Germinal / Hercule
First Republic onward · 1795–1889 (with gaps)
The face of French silver. The Hercule design (a male and female allegory representing the Republic, with Hercules between them) ran across the First Republic, the Second Republic, and the Third Republic. Even Napoleon's portrait coins followed the same weight standard. If a coin says "5 FRANCS" and is from the 19th century, it's silver — period. Mid-grade circulated examples trade for $30–60 today.
Weight: 25 g
Silver: .900 fine = ~22.5 g pure
Diameter: 37 mm
Napoleon I & Napoleon III silver francs
First Empire / Second Empire · 1804–1814, 1852–1870
Both Napoleons issued silver coinage with their own profiles. Napoleon I's 5 francs (1804–1814) carries his bust and is one of the most-collected pieces of French numismatic history. Napoleon III's silver (1852–1870) ran across multiple denominations — 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, 1F, 2F, 5F — and is plentiful in collector markets today.
Bust: Napoleon I (laureate) or Napoleon III
Specs: same as Hercule (25 g .900)
Demand: portrait premium ~30–50% over Hercule
Latin Monetary Union silver
France · 1865–1927
Under the LMU, French 5 francs circulated freely with Belgian 5 francs, Swiss 5 francs, and Italian 5 lira. All four had identical specifications. Coins from any union member were legal tender in any other. The LMU faded after the 1870s silver-price collapse broke the 15.5:1 gold-silver ratio — forcing members onto a de facto gold standard — and WWI-era paper inflation overwhelmed it; it was formally wound up in 1927. For more than six decades it was a real working multi-country silver currency.
Member nations: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy
Standard: 25 g .900 silver per 5 units
Lifespan: 1865–1927
Modern French commemoratives
Monnaie de Paris · 1960–present
The Monnaie de Paris (the French mint, founded AD 864 — oldest continuously-operating institution in France) issues silver commemoratives every year. Notable issues: 1989 Eiffel Tower centennial 5 francs, 2002 Euro changeover proofs, 2019 Notre-Dame de Paris (post-fire benefit issue), and the annual Hercule restrike in modern proof finish.
Issuer: Monnaie de Paris
Founded: AD 864 (1,160+ years)
Modern silver: typically 22.2 g .900 or 25 g .999
Mints & mintmarks
French coins carry a small mintmark indicating where they were struck:
- A — Paris (the principal mint, the only one still operating today)
- B — Rouen, Strasbourg (different periods)
- D — Lyon
- K — Bordeaux
- L — Bayonne
- BB — Strasbourg (post-Revolution)
- M — Toulouse
- W — Lille
For most collectors the Paris (A) mintmark is the most common. Other mintmarks command modest premiums depending on year and rarity.
Buying old French silver
French silver is widely available and well-priced. Hercule 5 francs from any year between 1795 and 1878 trade for $25–75 in circulated grades, $100–300 in higher grades. Napoleon I and III portrait coins command portrait premiums — expect $40–150 in circulated grades. Modern commemoratives (Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame) remain widely available at $30–100 in original packaging.
Authentication: French silver coins were extensively counterfeited during their original circulation (especially Napoleon I 5 francs). Use the authenticity guide — weight (25 g for 5 francs), diameter (37 mm), magnet, and SG (10.34 for .900 silver).