Greetings from Napoleon III

August 1, 2010

The ten franc coin was minted in Paris in 1856 at the time of the Second French Empire (1852–1870) and is 93% gold. The image appearing on the obverse is that of Louis Napoleon III. In 1848, Napoleon III was elected president of the Second Republic and following a coup d’etat in 1852, he appointed himself Empereur des Francais—like his famous uncle, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), also referred to as Napolean I.

According to Robert Kool, an IAA numismatist (one who studies coins), “The discovery of gold coins during archaeological excavations is a rare occurrence. This is the first time that such a coin was found in an excavation in Yafo. However, we know that European gold coins were common in the Ottoman Empire, which suffered a severe financial crisis in the late 19^th century. Documents and coins that were found in the past in Tel Aviv and Beersheva attest to the popularity of European gold, especially in remote provinces like Palestine, until the end of the First World War.

Source: (From IAA press releases by Charleeda Sprinkle, Assistant Editor)

Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org