Set Description:
The turn of the century 20F Gold Rooster features a defiant Marianne on the obverse and a proud rooster on the reverse, a combination of two French national symbols. This is one of the most beautiful European gold coins ever minted in my opinion and one of the best ways for almost anyone to own a 100-year old gold coin.
The series can be divided into two separate sets, the early coins (1899-1906) which were never restruck and are difficult to locate in higher grades, and the later coins (1907-1914) which were restruck and are still somewhat plentiful. The 1899-1906 coins feature the edge inscription “Dieu Protege La France”, which translates to “God Protects France”, while the 1907-1914 coins feature the edge inscription “Liberte Egalite Fraternite”, which translates to “Liberty Equality Fraternity”. For obvious reasons these coins really benefit from NGC's new Edgeview holders.
My goal is to assemble a complete MS-65 set of certified Gold Roosters, though I may have to be content with an average score of 65. So far my average is 64.18.
NGC certified upgrades would be greatly appreciated and suitably rewarded.
NOTE: Formerly complete set decimated by NGC's recent "No PCGS" policy.
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