French 20-franc gold rooster anti-counterfeiting devices. 1 1

[Henri Charriere]

I should like to bring to the attention of devoted Gold Rooster collectors everywhere the two unobtrusive, little-known, often overlooked anti-counterfeiting devices the French incorporated into the design of this coin.

This series ran from 1899 to 1914, but unbeknownst to all but the most observant collector, a barely discernible "torch" was added to the left of the date, while a horn of plenty, or "cornucopia" was placed to its right.

The first three in the 16-coin series, 1899, 1900 and 1901-- the 1900 issue is the rarest -- do not bear these features, but all the coins that followed, originals and restrikes alike do as exemplified by the example below.

Edited May 8, 2023 by Henri Charriere
Addition of one word, correct misspelling and add spacing.

[Henri Charriere]

Note to the File:  The two anti-counterfeiting measures, as hereinabove described in the 2d paragraph, were present  on the 1904 example described as a "Counterfeit Forgery" which was offered for sale recently by Le Comptoir Des Monnaies in Paris.