Napoléon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, and eventually rose to become one of the most important figures of his time. Napoléon had already joined the French Royal Army as an officer during his teen years when the French Revolution, which he supported, came to fruition in 1789. Rising through the ranks, Napoléon notched wins against royalist insurgents in Paris in 1795 and a year later defeated Austrians and Italians in the War of the First Coalition.
Earning glory as a French hero, Napoléon gathered political currency with invasions of Egypt and Syria in 1798, a successful rematch against an Austrian-Italian front in 1800, and his sale of the Territory of Louisiana to the United States in 1803. Crowning himself as the Emperor of France in December 1804, Napoléon successfully led French troops into other skirmishes over the next decade, securing his nation’s dominance in Western Europe.
Still, he was not invincible. Napoléon drew down his troops during an invasion of Russia in the winter of 1812, with Prussian and Austrian forces joining the Russians in the Battle of Leipzig. This was a battle that the once-mighty French ruler lost. Abdicating the throne in April 1814, Napoléon was exiled to Elba – an island in the Mediterranean. But that wasn’t the end for Napoléon, who returned to Paris with 1,000 men months later and regained the helm over France.
However, his return to the throne was short-lived when a coalition of opponents that included the United Kingdom, Prussia, and the Netherlands overthrew Napoléon in the Battle of Waterloo. Living out the rest of his years in exile on the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, Napoléon died of stomach cancer at the age of 51 on May 5, 1821.
Perhaps the fallen French emperor would find exultation in knowing that scholars more than two centuries after his death still regard Napoléon as a military mastermind. Surely Napoléon would delight in knowing that French coins bearing his image can command massive sums to this day. One minted during the height of his reign in 1808 is poised to do so in a Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction being held in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) in January 2025.
Soon to cross the block is a stunning example of a France Empire 1808-A 5 Francs struck at the Paris Mint and bearing an effigy of Napoléon I. This magnificent single flan bruni specimen, graded PCGS PR65, astounds with its gunmetal gray surfaces and kisses of gold along the peripheries. The brilliant fields are punctuated by sharply struck devices, ensuring the superiority of this exquisite specimen.
Sure to captivate series specialists and world crown aficionados alike, this historic treasure hailing from the days of Napoléon could easily hammer between $20,000 and $40,000. It’s possible this prestigious coin could garner higher bids still, given its provenance from the cabinet of the esteemed Richard Margolis Collection. The coin last appeared in a public offering back in 1999. Who is to say it won’t be locked away again for yet another generation or more?