The New York Sale
Auction 49 15 Jan 2020
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France
Napoleon I (1804-1814). Gold 20 Francs, 1808-A (Paris). Laureate head left. Rev. Value within wreath, date below (Fr 499; KM 687.1; Gad 1024). In PCGS holder graded MS 63. Value $1,000 - UP
The gold 20-franc issues of 1807 and 1808 are transitional in that they retain the reverse type naming the French Republic that had been used since the time of the Consulate, but employ a new portrait type that leaves no ambiguity about Napoleon's imperial ambitions. Now the bare-headed bust is gone and replaced by a new image of Napoleon shown wearing the laurel wreath-the usual headgear for an emperor. This new portrait was a bold statement because it placed his image in the company of absolute monarchs-anathema to French Revolutionary ideals. Louis XIV and Louis XV had both appeared on their coins wearing a laurel wreath, although the hated Louis XVI had never adopted this portrait style for his coins. Not only does the present coin symbolize Napoleon's betrayal of the French Revolution but it was also struck in the year that the Emperor turned against his former ally Ferdinand VII of Spain and committed his army to the quagmire of the Peninsular War (1807-1814).
Napoleon I (1804-1814). Gold 20 Francs, 1808-A (Paris). Laureate head left. Rev. Value within wreath, date below (Fr 499; KM 687.1; Gad 1024). In PCGS holder graded MS 63. Value $1,000 - UP
The gold 20-franc issues of 1807 and 1808 are transitional in that they retain the reverse type naming the French Republic that had been used since the time of the Consulate, but employ a new portrait type that leaves no ambiguity about Napoleon's imperial ambitions. Now the bare-headed bust is gone and replaced by a new image of Napoleon shown wearing the laurel wreath-the usual headgear for an emperor. This new portrait was a bold statement because it placed his image in the company of absolute monarchs-anathema to French Revolutionary ideals. Louis XIV and Louis XV had both appeared on their coins wearing a laurel wreath, although the hated Louis XVI had never adopted this portrait style for his coins. Not only does the present coin symbolize Napoleon's betrayal of the French Revolution but it was also struck in the year that the Emperor turned against his former ally Ferdinand VII of Spain and committed his army to the quagmire of the Peninsular War (1807-1814).