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 Flagship Gold Coins

Flagship Gold coins are those coins minted that were the largest denomination of any country’s coins that were actually made for commerce. Collectors and investors all want the best and biggest coins. Large Gold coins are the best, and most favored coins in the 

world. Collectors and investors are not interested in modern bullion coins as they are neither rare nor “real.” Collectors and investors want the “real” coins that were actually made for commerce. Bullion is not currency; it is simply a convenient form in which to hold Gold. 

Flagship coins are classic Gold coins of approximately one ounce. No Flagship coins have been produced in modern time. Only five countries in the world made large Gold coins for commerce. They are the US $20 Double Eagle; the French 100 Francs the Great Britain 5 Guineas; the Italian 100 Lire, and the Spanish Empire 8 Escudos. Every other country in the world only made small coins which are not nearly as interesting to investors and collectors. 

Each Flagship coin offers its own unique opportunities. However the French 100 Francs is particularly noteworthy.

The French 100 Francs was minted from 1855 to 1936. It is by far the rarest of all five of the Flagship coins. Most years only 10,000 or fewer coins were minted. The most common year is 1857-A with only 103,000 minted. The rarest year of the Napoleon III type is the 1870-A with only about 10 known. The rarest year of the Angel series is the 1894-A with only about 30 known. For the reduced size, 1929 is the rarest year with several different designs each with a mintage of only 15.

The French 100 Francs is also of great historical significance. The main type portrays Napoleon as Emperor of France. The Monaco coins were made in very small quantities and were largely for the use of the Prince of Monaco and his associates. (The highest title in Monaco is Prince, since it is a principality of France, and thus its leader cannot be known as King or Emperor.) It was also the main currency used at the world famous Monte Carlo Casino, immortalized in numerous films including James Bond. More than any other French heritage coin, the Monaco 100 Francs were mostly handled by the rich and famous.

There are a total of 7 different designs and two different mints, Paris and Strasbourg. Best of all is the current price. The French 100 Francs is extremely underpriced; it is by far the least expensive of the four Flagship coins. Even some of the scarce years can be bought for a modest amount more than the Gold price. Perhaps the most undervalued rarity in the world, the French 100 Francs has not yet been noticed for its huge upside potential

The numbers speak for themselves. In the entire 59 years during which the 100 Francs were produced, only 983,000 were minted. Compare that to the US $20 flagship coin, of which in many years more than a million were minted. Today the 100 Francs can be bought for pennies on the dollar compare to the US $20. For instance, the most valuable US $20 is worth $22 million for just one coin! The most valuable 100 Francs is only $500,000. This is the largest price gap of any two comparable coin series in the world. French Empire gold coins are extremely desirable world wide, but prices are still 50 years behind the US market. Don’t expect this situation to last long!

It is our mission to research the entire world for major opportunities that have not yet been noticed. It is a difficult mission because the demand for superb condition 100 Francs exceeds the supply. Rare coins are generally collected regionally. For instance a US collector collects US coins and a Chinese collector collects Chinese coins, etc. However, Flagship coins have international demand, making them the highest in demand rare coins in the world. 

The series designs were minted as follows:

Large Size:

Napoleon, without laureate: 1855 - 1859

Napoleon, with laureate on head: 1861 - 1870

Angel, with edge letting “DIEU PROTÉGÉ LA FRANCE”: 1878 - 1906

Angel, with edge letting “LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE”: 1907 - 1914

Monaco, Charles III: 1881 - 1886

Monaco, Albert I: 1891 – 1904

Reduced Size: 

Mercury 1929 - 1936

 The image on this Gold 100 Franc coin dates back to the French Revolution. At that time, the Republic needed new motifs for its new currency, because naturally, the traditional royal insignias were no longer suitable for the Republican coins. After a contest in 1791, the artist Augustin Dupré was commissioned to design new  images.

Until then it had been traditional to depict the royal crest on the reverse of the coins. As an alternative Dupré designed a winged Genius writing the French constitution on a tablet of law; accordingly, this motif was called "Constitutionnel." The Genius, which in ancient Rome had been regarded as a type of tutor, stood for the genius that had enlightened the creators of the French constitution.

On the right side of the Genius a fasces is depicted, with a hand taking an oath on top. In ancient Rome, fasces had been attributed to high officials; since then they symbolized the authority of magistrates. The hand stood for the oath taken on the Republic’s constitution. The cock, depicted on the left side of the Genius, has always been the epitome of vigilance. The Latin word for cock was "gallus," which is why the bird became the symbol for French – that is Gallic – alertness.

The Constitutionnel was thus a thoroughly Republican design. It reappeared whenever a new republic was declared in France. This happened again in 1870, when the Third French Republic (until 1940) was declared after the breakdown of the Second French Empire.