One of the great Flagship coins of the world is the French 100 Francs. This was minted from 1855 to 1914. 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 is the 1894-A with only 143 minted. The French 100 Franc is also of historical significance as the main type portrays Napoleon III on the obverse and the Emperor of France on the reverse. There are a total of 6 different designs that were produced at 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 Flagship coins of the world. Even some of the rare years can be bought for little more than the Gold price. In fact the entire set can be bought for about $1 Million whereas a complete set of US $20 Gold coins would cost you over $200 Million.
The French 100 Francs is the most popular large Gold coin in Europe. It has never been effectively promoted and this is reflected in its extremely low current price. Many years could be 10 times the current price and still be very cheap.
Three different strategies exist for purchasing the French 100 Francs:
1. Purchase the scarce years at near the Gold value.
2. Purchase just the very rare years.
3. Purchase every year from both mints, with the goal of building a complete set.
