200 Francs Gaulle

The 200 Francs Gaulle coin was struck in 1980 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's death, using gold from France's post-war reserves.

That makes it a straightforward tribute, not the revolutionary artifact some enthusiasts claim. The obverse shows de Gaulle's profile, based on official portraits, while the reverse bears the French Republic's emblem—a design as no-nonsense as the man himself. Mintage figures are murky; official records from that era are incomplete, so we can't pin down exact numbers.

Some collectors fixate on its 20-gram weight, but that's just physics.

Handling these, you notice the edge reeding is crisp, a sign of careful minting at the Monnaie de Paris. It's a solid piece, nothing more.