France 1938 20 francs

from the Mountain Groan Collection

This specimen is a common date of a series struck 1929-39. All 234 million were struck at the Paris mint without mintmark. Most dates are readily available; the 1937 date is rare. This type was an attempt by the Poincaré government to revive the silver écu but at a realistic level after the ravages of the inflation of World War One. The face value of the old franc Germinal was 0.222 franc/gram of silver; this coin prices silver at 1.47 francs/gram. It was officially demonetized in 1945 but ceased to circulate during the German occupation.

Recorded mintage: 10,462,216.

Specification: 20 g, 0.680 fine silver, 35 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by Pierre Turin (1891-1968).

Catalog reference: F.400/7, Gad-852, KM 879, Dav-98.

Source:

• Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Françaises, 1789-2019, 24me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2019.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• Prieur, Michel, and Laurent Schmitt, Le Franc 10: Les Monnaies, Paris: Éditions les Chevau-légers, 2014.
• George Sobin, Jr., The Silver Crowns of France, 1640-1973. Teaneck, NJ: Richard Margolis, 1974.

Link to:

• 1937 20 francs
• 1938 5 centimes, copper-nickel
• 1938 5 centimes, copper-nickel-zinc
• 1938 copper-nickel-zinc 10 centimes
• 1938 25 centimes
• 1938 50 centimes
• 1938 franc
• 1938 2 francs
• 1938 aluminum bronze 5 francs
• 1938 10 francs
• 1939 20 francs
• Coins and currency dated 1938