France 1804 (Year 12 of The Republic) Napoleon I, Five Francs Silver Rare
Triumphant as a military commander on behalf of the revolutionary French Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte was made First Consul in 1804, the year of this coin. Later that year, however, as France fought a desperate war with Great Britain, he seized power as emperor. The edge reads, in translation, God Protects France. A rare coin, minted in the last year of the French Republic.