Gold Coin 20 Frank Marianne Kohout 1907

Marianne Rooster 20 Franks 1907

The French 20 franc Marianne Coq was a currency issued during the Third Republic from 1907 to 1914, with a purity of 900/1000 Au (21.6 kt), a weight of 6.45 g and a diameter of 21 mm. The total production of coins was 74,414,415 pieces, with 17,715,935 coins minted in 1907. The design was created by the French sculptor and medallist Jules-Clément Chaplain.

The reverse side of the coin depicts a portrait of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, with her head adorned with a Phrygian cap and oak headdress. The description states the inscription 'REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE'.

The obverse shows a figure of a rooster walking to the left with a heaving bust, flanked by the denomination '20 FCS'. The year of mintage is indicated on the underside, the motto of France 'LIBERTE.EGALITE.FRATERNITE', which translates as Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, is mentioned in the description of the coin.

Marianne is an allegorical figure whose first depiction dates back to the French Revolution. She became a symbol of the freedom of the French nation. In her female form, with her head adorned with a Phrygian cap, she came to the attention of the French at the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Many famous French women have been honoured to lend their faces to the allegorical Marianne. These include Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta and Sophie Marceau.

The Gallic cock has been the emblem of Gaul, the first inhabitants of France, since time immemorial. According to legend, Julius Ceasar, at the siege of Gergovia, called on the leader of the Gaulish tribe of Arverni, Vercingetorix, to surrender. He countered that they would fight like roosters. In the ensuing battle, the Arverni won, and Caesar began to refer to them as cocks. Rooster in Latin is gallus and the territory was thus named Gaul. The rooster emblem was not used for many years until the French Revolution, when the revolutionaries replaced the royal symbol of the eagle with the rooster and subsequently used it as the official emblem of France. The cockerel was replaced several times in the following years, eventually becoming once again the emblem of the French Republic and a reference to the Revolution.