{"id":283954,"date":"2026-02-21T09:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T22:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/?p=283954"},"modified":"2026-02-21T09:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T22:29:10","slug":"the-most-beautiful-and-last-french-gold-coins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/%d8%a3%d8%ac%d9%85%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%87%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%a9\/","title":{"rendered":"The most beautiful and last French gold coins"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The 100 French franc gold coin designed by Lucien Bazore is the last French gold coin and one of the finest coins ever minted. In addition, it has a beautiful story that we will try to summarize in our article today.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Following World War I, many countries, including France, faced significant economic challenges. The war depleted national gold reserves, plunging the global economy into turmoil. As a result, many nations drastically reduced their use of gold in minting coins. Governments also began increasingly shifting towards paper money and other forms of currency to preserve their gold reserves.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">In the United Kingdom, for example, the government asked the public to surrender their gold sovereigns to support the war effort and stabilize the economy. By the end of the war, gold had largely disappeared from circulation. This trend was repeated in other countries, including France, where the focus shifted to preserving gold reserves rather than using gold in everyday transactions.<\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/%d8%a3%d8%ac%d9%85%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%87%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%a9\/#%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85\" >Lucien Bazore: The Genius Behind the Design<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/%d8%a3%d8%ac%d9%85%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%87%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%a9\/#%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8_%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89_%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7_%D8%A5%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B0_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8_%D9%85%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A9\" >Escape to Africa: Saving gold from Nazism<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/%d8%a3%d8%ac%d9%85%d9%84-%d9%88%d8%a2%d8%ae%d8%b1-%d8%b9%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b0%d9%87%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%b1%d9%86%d8%b3%d9%8a%d8%a9\/#%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7_%D8%B5%D9%8F%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%9F\" >The tragic end: Why were millions melted down?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%81_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85\"><\/span>Lucien Bazore: The Genius Behind the Design<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Then, in 1928, with the aim of stabilizing the French economy and reintegrating it into the global gold standard system, the French parliament passed a law establishing a new gold value for the French franc. The 100-franc gold coin, known as the bazur after its designer, was a key part of this plan.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Lucien Bazore, the chief engraver at the Paris Mint, designed the coin with exquisite detail. Weighing 6.55 grams, it is 900 purity (90% gold) and has a diameter of 21 mm. The obverse features a portrait of a woman, a symbol of France, while the reverse displays a circular inscription of the French Revolution&#039;s motto, &quot;Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,&quot; along with the denomination and the year of minting.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Despite their intended purpose, the bazur never entered circulation. Only a small number were minted between 1929 and 1933. However, between 1935 and 1936, a large quantity\u201413 million pieces\u2014was produced. Unfortunately, due to turbulent economic conditions and another devaluation of the franc in October 1936, these coins were never released into circulation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_283958\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-283958\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-283958 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pub-8c6367eeb78947fb9a67f9647334fc7f.r2.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/476837648_480991988417710_5145569421048135978_n-Small.jpg\" alt=\"French gold coins\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pub-8c6367eeb78947fb9a67f9647334fc7f.r2.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/476837648_480991988417710_5145569421048135978_n-Small-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pub-8c6367eeb78947fb9a67f9647334fc7f.r2.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/476837648_480991988417710_5145569421048135978_n-Small-18x9.jpg 18w, https:\/\/pub-8c6367eeb78947fb9a67f9647334fc7f.r2.dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/476837648_480991988417710_5145569421048135978_n-Small.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-283958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">French gold bazur coin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8_%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89_%D8%A3%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7_%D8%A5%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B0_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8_%D9%85%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A9\"><\/span>Escape to Africa: Saving gold from Nazism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Then, to make matters worse, World War II broke out, and the French moved their gold reserves, including the Bazor coins, to West Africa for fear they would fall into German hands. There, these coins remained stored in secret underground vaults until the end of the war.<\/div>\n<h2 dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7_%D8%B5%D9%8F%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AA_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%9F\"><\/span>The tragic end: Why were millions melted down?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">After the war, these coins were finally returned to France, but not for use. They were melted down as part of efforts to stabilize the French economy and manage gold reserves more effectively.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">The bazour coin represented the final link in a long tradition of French gold coins that began in 1640 with Louis XIII. Although it was never put into circulation, the bazour coin remained a symbol of France&#039;s efforts to stabilize its economy during a difficult historical period.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Today, the Bazoor coin is a rare and valuable piece for coin collectors who appreciate it for its historical significance and captivating design.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<table class=\"alignright\" data-path-to-node=\"21,1\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Specifications<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>the details<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,1,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Designer<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,1,1,0\">Lucien Bazor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,2,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Total weight<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,2,1,0\">6.55 grams<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,3,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,3,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Pure gold<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,3,1,0\">5.89 grams (90% purity)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,4,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Qatar<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,4,1,0\">21 mm<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,5,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Total mintage (1935-1936)<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,5,1,0\">Approximately 13.7 million pieces<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,6,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"21,1,6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Current situation<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"21,1,6,1,0\">Very rare (most were married off after the war)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">For more similar topics, you can browse the Arab collector&#039;s website through <a href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/personal-union-in-history\/\">the Link<\/a> the next:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"k7jkaVQmSzoWxcyXlw0JqvjucBZhXCiMrnr1iMtSl51WYU2NZFQe44fHnVHIgAF39TR5sNPfgGAs\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"TZ3n25Y1sM\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/personal-union-in-history\/\">Personal union in history<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cPersonal Unity in History\u201d \u2014 The Arab Collector\" src=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%a7%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%ae%d8%b5%d9%8a-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%ae\/embed\/#?secret=dSFLdTsppV#?secret=TZ3n25Y1sM\" data-secret=\"TZ3n25Y1sM\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"99dhlf7Ittnc7qIXSPFZbRfA6vx1ihiKFTCWnSMa8C3OcREXV0HDsuzo4vaLwb5UqkOrLjs5lNpGk2JuQ1YWo\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lgQ1IRit5p\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/imperial-temper\/\">Imperial mood!!<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201c&quot;The Imperial Mood!!&quot; \u2014 The Arab Collector\" src=\"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%ac-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%85%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b7%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%89\/embed\/#?secret=ZheucySspp#?secret=lgQ1IRit5p\" data-secret=\"lgQ1IRit5p\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 100-franc gold coin designed by Lucien Bazur is the last French gold coin and one of the most magnificent coins ever minted. It also has a fascinating story, which we will attempt to summarize in this article. After World War I, many countries, including France, faced significant economic challenges. The war had depleted national gold reserves\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2447,"featured_media":283957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":[],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[364,1424],"tags":[6134,3035,6135,6136,6137,6138,6140,6133,6139,6079,6141,6126,6127,2144,6125,6130,6089,1481,6132,6128,6061,6131,6129],"class_list":["post-283954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historical","category-numismatics","tag-100-francs-bazor","tag-coin-collecting","tag-french-gold","tag-french-numismatics","tag-gold-coins","tag-gold-reserves","tag-gold-standard","tag-lucien-bazor","tag-paris-mint","tag-rare-coins","tag-world-war-ii-history","tag-6126","tag-6127","tag-2144","tag-6125","tag-6130","tag-6089","tag-1481","tag-6132","tag-6128","tag-6061","tag-6131","tag-6129"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2447"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arabcollector.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}