Mail Call: 1870-A France 5 Francs Napoleon III

Got another one in the mail from my favorite coin dealer. An 1870-A France 5 Francs featuring Napoleon III. This one has some history behind it.

The obverse shows the portrait of Napoleon III facing left with "NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR" around the rim. The "A" mint mark indicates it was struck at the Paris Mint.

The reverse features the imperial coat of arms with the French eagle. The edge bears the inscription "DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE" which translates to "God Protects France."

Spoiler alert: He didn't.

This is a silver coin, .900 fine, weighing 25 grams with a diameter of 37mm. It contains about 0.7234 troy ounces of actual silver.

This is where it gets interesting. This coin was minted in early 1870 while Napoleon III was still Emperor of France. The Second French Empire was at its peak. Or so everyone thought.

By July 1870, France declared war on Prussia. It was supposed to be a quick victory to restore French prestige and keep Prussia in check. It didn't go that way.

By September 1st, 1870, Napoleon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan along with over 100,000 French troops. One of the most humiliating defeats in French military history.

By September 4th, the Second Empire was over. The Third Republic was declared in Paris. Napoleon III went from Emperor to prisoner of war in a matter of days.

The war dragged on until January 1871. France lost Alsace and part of Lorraine to the newly unified German Empire. They were forced to pay five billion francs in reparations. German troops occupied northern France until it was paid off.

The loss poisoned relations between France and Germany for decades. Some historians draw a straight line from this war to the trenches of World War I.

So this coin in my hand was legal tender under an emperor who would be a prisoner of war within months of it being struck. The government that minted it didn't survive the year.

That's what I love about old coins. They're not just metal. They're frozen moments in time. This one captures the last days of an empire that didn't know it was dying.

If you have any further information about this coin you would like to add, like historical information I left out or want to correct any I may have gotten wrong, please drop it in the comments.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

References:

Ancient War History. (2025). The Franco-Prussian War and the Birth of France's Turbulent Third Republic. https://ancientwarhistory.com/the-franco-prussian-war-and-the-birth-of-frances-turbulent-third-republic/

APMEX. (n.d.). 1866-1870 France Silver 5 Francs Napoleon III. https://www.apmex.com/product/33480/1866-1870-france-silver-5-francs-napoleon-iii-avg-circ

Britannica. (n.d.). Franco-German War. https://www.britannica.com/event/Franco-German-War

Numista. (n.d.). 5 Francs - Napoleon III - France. https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces1184.html

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Franco-Prussian War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Prussian_War

Wikipedia. (n.d.). French Third Republic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Third_Republic

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-All content is mine unless otherwise annotated.
-Images are my own unless otherwise noted.
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