Talk:Napoleon (coin)/Comments

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I have an interest in "Napoleons" - the coins - and have read widely on the subject. I found this article to be a useful and accurate summary of the subject. I have one small criticism: the opening suggests that "Napoleons" - the coins - are any French gold coin issued between 1803 and 1914. My understanding is that the name "Napoleon" specifically refers to the 20-franc coin. Sometimes I have read of the 40-franc as a "Double-Napoleon". I have never heard the 5, 10, 50, nor 100-franc coins referred to as Napoleons. I have seen references to 20-franc coins issued in the reign of Louis XVIII as "Louis d'Or" - but that is clearly wrong. The Louis d'Or was a pre-revolutionary coin, and a distinctly different weight to Napoleons. A further point, the earliest "Napoleon" bears the date "An XI" - Year eleven of the revolutionary calendar. However, there was an earlier gold coin, issued in An IX (year nine) - I do not have access to a photo that I control the copyright of, so I will describe it: obv: helmeted bust, letters A.L. below; L’ITALIE DELIVREE A MARENGO rev: 20 FRANCS; L’AN 9; LIBERTE EGALITE; ERIDANIA; the style of the coin is strikingly similar to the familiar Napoleons. Curiously, I have noted that Italian collectors call a "Napoleon" coin a "Marengo", and I suspect it is because they regard this coin of An IX as the true start of the series. Note also the similarities between the French silver 5-francs of An XI, and the Subalpine 5-francs of An X (year ten). Pmthomas (talk) 10:30, 1 June 2008 (UTC)