French coins – gold and silver. Livres, louis, francs and euros

An experienced numismatist will be happy to tell you about all the features and historical value of French coins from different periods. We will limit ourselves to a short overview of the most famous of them, paying a little attention to each.

In the 9th-13th centuries, the Parisian livre and the Tours livre were in use in France. The first did not last long, but the second was more fortunate. He set a kind of record for the time of use – from the XIII to the XIX century, and was withdrawn from circulation only under Napoleon, in 1803. Livre, as a monetary unit, was introduced by King Louis IX the Saint. Later, during the reign of John II the Good de Valois, the coin began to be called the franc. The reason for this was the inscription on the coin introduced by the king: FRANCORV REX – King of the Franks.

Simultaneously with the livre, an ecu was issued – a gold coin of France weighing 4 g and named after the shield depicted on it. Ecu was also called denier. By the way, the livre was equal to 240 denier.

Read: Art of France

Before the events of the Great French Revolution, louis were also minted in the country – gold coins with the image of King Louis XIII. They also existed until the events of the French Revolution.

Napoleon I, having become the emperor of France, minted a coin depicting himself beloved with a palm wreath on his head. The coin was called Napoleondor. The first emperor of France cannot be denied modesty.

Then there were the Franks, which lasted until the end of the 20th century. They were replaced by the single currency of the European Union – the euro. Today they are the only coins in France that are legal tender throughout Western Europe and are accepted for payment all over the world. The euro was created as a competitor to the dollar, but so far, despite its higher nominal value, it has not been able to oust the US dollar from the pedestal of the single world currency. The Euro of France has three main designs: the smaller ones have a portrait of Marianne, the larger ones depict a sower, and the 1 and 2 euro coins feature a stylized tree. The obverse of the coin features 12 EU stars.