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The franc (/ f r æ ŋ k /; French: franc français, [fʁɑ̃ fʁɑ̃sɛ]; sign: F or Fr), [n 2] also commonly distinguished as the French franc (FF), was a currency of France.Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money.
The coins were originally minted in two denominations, 20 and 40 francs for Napoléon Bonaparte. The 40-franc gold piece did not become popular. [8] The 20 franc coins are 21 mm in diameter (about the size of a U.S. five-cent piece or a Swiss 20 Rappen coin), weigh 6.45 grams (gross weight) and; at 90% pure, contain 0.1867 troy ounces (5.807 g) of pure gold.
Like the French franc, the Belgian and Luxembourg francs ceased to exist on 1 January 1999, when they became fixed at 1 EUR = 40.3399 BEF/LUF, thus a Belgian or Luxembourg franc was worth €0.024789. Old franc coins and notes lost their legal tender status on 28 February 2002. One Luxembourg franc was equal to one Belgian franc.
Half Louis d’or of Louis XIII (1643) [nb 2] The Louis d'or (a gold coin) replaced the franc which had been in circulation (in theory) since John II.In actual practice the principal gold coin circulating in France in the earlier 17th century had been Spanish: the 6.7-gram double escudo or "doubloon", of which the Louis d'or was an explicit copy.
The LMU adopted the specifications of the French gold franc, which had been introduced by Napoleon I in 1803 and was struck in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 40, 50 and 100 francs, with the 20 franc coin (6.45161 grams or 99.5636 grains of .900 fine gold struck on a 21-millimetre or 0.83-inch planchet) being the most common.
The last 5-centime coin, a remote souvenir inherited from the "franc germinal", was removed from circulation in the 1940s, but the word "sou" keeps being used (except for the 1960 new franc's five-centime coin which was worth five old francs).
Antiques are always in style, but some have major resale value too. Here are the most valuable antiques for 2025 and beyond. 8 Antique Pieces That'll Increase in Value in 2025, According to Experts
5-sol French coin and silver coins – New France; Spanish-American coins- unofficial; Playing cards – 1685-1760s, sometimes officially New France; 15 and a 30-deniers coin known as the mousquetaire – early 17th century New France; Gold Louis – 1720 New France; Sol and Double Sol 1738–1764; English coins early 19th century