French Gold 20 Francs Rooster
View deal at APMEXSpecifications
- Weight
- 0.1867 oz
- Purity
- .9
- Mint
- Paris Mint
- Country
- France
- First struck
- 1898
About the French Gold 20 Francs Rooster
The French Gold 20 Francs Rooster is a Third Republic coin minted from 1898 to 1914. The obverse shows Marianne, the personified figure of the Republic, designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain. The reverse carries the Gallic rooster, a national emblem, with the legend Liberté Égalité Fraternité. It is a coin that wears its politics on its face.
Each piece weighs 6.4516 grams gross with a fineness of .900, giving you 0.1867 troy ounces of actual gold weight. The diameter is 21 mm. That makes it slightly smaller and lighter than a 1/5 oz modern bullion coin, but heavier than a Sovereign. It feels right in the hand. Collectors call coins of this size and standard Latin Monetary Union pieces, since France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy all struck near-identical 20-franc coins to a shared specification.
Mintages were enormous. The Rooster series alone ran into the tens of millions, and that volume is exactly why these coins still trade close to melt today. You are not paying a numismatic premium for most years. You are paying for the gold, plus a thin sliver for age and design.
This coin is a useful entry point if you want fractional gold without the markup of modern 1/5 oz bullion. It is also a staple of European stackers who prefer pre-1933 sovereign-era gold over contemporary mint product. The age makes it interesting. The standardization makes it liquid.
A quick note. Restrikes exist. The French Mint produced restrikes of the 20 Francs Rooster after the original series ended, and these are graded and traded as bullion. Whether you receive an original 1898-1914 strike or a later restrike, the gold content is identical.
You should know that .900 fine gold is alloyed with copper. That gives the coin a warmer, slightly reddish tone compared to the cool yellow of a .9999 Maple Leaf. It also makes it more durable, which is part of why so many survived a century of circulation in good shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the current premium on French Gold 20 Francs Rooster?
The lowest premium right now is +2.8% over spot at APMEX ($907.51). The table above ranks every dealer by premium so the best deal is at the top.
Which dealer has the cheapest French Gold 20 Francs Rooster?
APMEX currently has the lowest total price at $907.51. We compare every dealer on a freshness-filtered 24-hour window so rankings reflect live market prices.
How often do prices update?
Dealer prices refresh hourly. Spot metal reference refreshes every 10 minutes. The "last seen" timestamp on each listing tells you exactly when that price was captured.