A short discussion concerning my first six months in search of the gold coins of Napoleon Bonaparte and the new French Republic.

Hello all,

I am a recent member to this site, an an avid follower of all things historical. I came by the numismatist trade six months ago as a way of tactile familiarity with past periods I am most fond of. My maiden voyage into this world has been with post revolution French gold coins, specifically those of Napoleon Bonaparte and his family who assumed power of the various kingdoms of Europe from 1802 until 1815.

My early concerns were that availability and prices of such coins would be beyond my meager budget (I'm A Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army), so I sought early on to find one coin that best represented his career and attempt to buy it. What I soon discovered was that the gold coins of this era are surprisingly easy to find at a tremendous value based on grade. Initially, extra fine grades were perfect for my needs, but soon I developed a penchant for buying only those coins graded AU 55 or above (the detail in these coins is truly remarkable).

I find it amazing how overlooked these early French Republic coins are. Their design is quite beautiful, and wholly more sophisticated than any I have seen from the era. The meaning of each date from AN XI (1802) to 1815 is tremendously powerful to me for the story they tell. Through this collection (I have gathered 14 40 Franc, 40 Lire and 20 Franc pieces thus far) I will have a time-line of history that almost changed the world entire. That is the most exciting piece for me.

What really astounds me is that even as the price for Gold fluctuates, the standard price on sites such as eBay remain roughly the same. I pay between $300 and $400 for a 12.8 gram 40 Franc or Lire piece AU 55 or above, and $200 to $300 for a 20 Franc piece of 6.4 grams. I know the gold in these coins is .900 fine at best, but what they represent more than makes up for any impurities in the gold.

It will cost me somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000 to complete the set (I buy only the Paris Mint Variety Francs, which makes some of my prices above easier to understand due to availability), and in the periods between I submit those collected to NCG for grading (just sent off my first 10 this week).

I am very attached to these coins and their history, so I don't really consider this an investment. I know that the whole collection at a set grade or higher would fetch more than the individual coins alone, but I would fear the time when necessity demanded that course of me. Either way, I love the thrill of discovering that "one last" coin pair for each year, or that tremendously hard to find AN 14 20 Franc in decent enough shape.

I love the hobby, and I am happy to be a member of this fine breed of collectors. As soon as I have photos of my coins, they will be posted.

Have a wonderful Day,

Joshua Little