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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.
Two additional gold coins, with nominal values of 25 and 50 francs, were planned in the 1950s. The design was chosen in 1954, the 25 francs coin represented William Tell and the 50 francs coin the Rütli oath. A total of 15 and 6 million pieces of the 25 and 50 francs version, respectively, were minted in 1955, 1956 and 1959.
The franc finally became the national currency from 1795 until 1999 [3] (franc coins and notes were legal tender until 2002). Though abolished as a legal coin by King Louis XIII in 1641 in favor of the gold louis and silver écu , the term franc continued to be used in common parlance for the livre tournois .
E. Écu; French euro coins; Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (France) Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (France): 2002; Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (France): 2003
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.
In 1964, coins were introduced specifically for use in the Comoros, replacing the Madagascar coins previously in use. Aluminium 1 FC, 2 FC, and 5 FC and aluminium-bronze 10 FC and 20 FC coins were issued. In 1975, nickel 50 francs were introduced, followed by nickel 100 FC in 1977 and nickel 25 FC in 1981.
In 1966, silver 100 franc coins were introduced. These were followed by nickel 10 and 20 francs in 1967, nickel-brass 1, 2 and 5 francs in 1970 and nickel 50 francs in 1972. Only the nickel coins (10, 20, and 50 francs) were the same size, composition, and obverse as the corresponding French Polynesian and New Caledonian coins.
In 1961, nickel 50 franc coins were introduced, followed by nickel 100 franc pieces in 1966. From 1971, the 100 franc coins were issued for each of the individual member states, depicting the state name in which they were issued. 50 franc coins were also issued in this manner between 1976 and 1996, after being reduced in size.