ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Malbet (Monsieur), graveur en médailles - Médailleur · CC0
5 Francs Cérès
France
1849–1851
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$57.26
Based on Silver spot price ($79.15/oz) · 90.0% purity · 25g
Updated 10:13 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | France |
| Years Minted | 1849–1851 |
| Composition | 0.900 silver |
| Weight | 25 g |
| Diameter | 37 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Reeded |
Design
Obverse
Depicts the head of the goddess Ceres facing left.
Reverse
Features the denomination '5 FRANCS' within a wreath, with the year at the bottom.
History & Notable Facts
The 5 Francs Cérès coin swapped out the Bourbon kings for the head of a goddess, a bold move by the Second Republic to signal agricultural renewal amid post-revolutionary chaos.
Struck in silver at the Paris Mint between 1849 and 1851, it featured Cérès with a wreath of wheat and poppies, designed by Jacques-Jean Barre to evoke France's rural backbone. Planchets were likely sourced from recycled bullion, though exact origins remain murky due to spotty records from that era. Mintage figures vary by year, with 1849 seeing perhaps a few million pieces, but precise numbers burned up in the 1871 Commune fires.
Weights hover around 25 grams of .900 fine silver, making it a sturdy piece for everyday use. Don't bother with the myth that Cérès warded off famines; she was just a design choice.
Some variants show die cracks, a common flaw that numismatists like me spot without much excitement.
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