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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 kings used the title "King of the Franks" (Latin: Rex Francorum) until the late twelfth century; the first to adopt the title of "King of France" (Latin: Rex Franciae; French: roi de France) was Philip II in 1190 (r. 1180–1223), after which the title "King of the Franks" gradually lost ground. [3]
The franc is any of various units of currency.One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes.The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription francorum rex (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century, or from the French franc, meaning "frank" (and "free" in certain contexts, such as coup franc, "free kick").
The Emperor's famous hats, purchased at the hat maker Poupard, cost sixty francs each. A bath in a bath-house cost 1.25 francs, a haircut for a woman 1.10 francs, a consultation with a doctor cost 3-4 francs. The price of room for two persons on the third floor in the low-income Saint-Jacques neighborhood was 36 francs a year.
There are coins in denominations of 5 centimes, 10 centimes, 20 centimes, 1 ⁄ 2 franc (50 centimes), 1 franc, 2 francs, and 5 francs. [ 2 ] All coins have the legend of either Helvetia or Confœderatio Helvetica , the Latin name of the Swiss Confederation , along with the year number.
The fare was 1.80 francs for a journey, or 2.50 francs for an hour. A wait of more than five minutes allowed the driver to demand payment for a full hour. The drivers were paid 1.5 francs per day for a working day that could last 15 to 16 hours.
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About one who is always short of money or always asking for some, one says that « Il lui manque toujours 3 sous pour faire un franc » ("he always lacks 3 sous to make up to one franc"). Sometimes it is said "missing 19 sous to have one franc", with one franc worth 20 sous; U.S. version: "he always needs a penny to have a round dollar".