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Intrinsic Value
£389.62
Estimated UK Delivery
£6.00
Stock status
In Stock
Product ID
1572
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.
More Info
Terms & Delivery
More Info
Terms & Delivery
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!
Obverse
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
Reverse
Designed by Henri-Auguste Patey, the engraving comprises the denomination and date set within a wreath, surrounded by the revolutionary legend:
LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ
Specification
| Diameter | 21mm |
| Weight | 6.4516g |
| Alloy | 21.6 carat gold |
| Fineness | 0.900 |
| Actual Gold Weight | 0.1867 Troy oz |
| Obverse Designer | Henri-Auguste Patey |
| Reverse Designer | Augustine Dupré |
| Mint | Paris Mint |
| Mintage | Varies depending on year |
| Finish | Uncirculated |
Terms of Sale - Key Points
You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.
Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.
Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.
All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.
If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.
Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.
View our full Terms & Conditions.
Delivery Information
We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.
Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.
- Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.
Orders under £60
- Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.
If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.
For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.
Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.
Postal Insurance
We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.
- Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
- Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.
If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.
Customer Reviews
Paul Thornley
“Good coins. Well packed.
Competitively priced”
20 hours ago
Thomas
“could not fault delivery, items all correct”
22 hours ago
Jennie Tanner
“Everything fine as usual- highly recommended!”
22 hours ago
Steven Ralph
“Excellent all round service. Received coins quickly and efficiently
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23 hours ago
an Audio Technica AT-ART9
“Brilliant service. Love the you tube vids”
a day ago
Nadine
“An easy transaction and delivery sooner than expected which was good with coins on pre-order.
Arranging delivery was a bit impersonal as it was a... Read More”
2 days ago
Tom Abs
“Everything about my experience with Chards was great!
From start to finish the professionality of the company shone through.
I'd use them over any other... Read More”
3 days ago
Periklis Mastrangelis
“Very quick service. Quick shipping.”
3 days ago
Stephen Crooks
“There speedy response and supplying goods exactly to their description.”
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Linda Barker
“I found what I was looking for easily and they were well packaged very professional service.”
3 days ago
