"a gold coin issued in France from 1360 until 1380, then a silver coin issued between 1575 and 1641. The franc finally became the national currency from 1795 until 1999 (franc coins and notes were legal tender until 2002). Though abolished as a legal coin by Louis XIII in 1641 in favor of the gold louis and silver écu, the term franc continued to be used in common parlance for the livre tournois. The franc was also minted for many of the former French colonies, such as Morocco, Algeria, French West Africa, and others. Today, after independence, many of these"
"1 January 1999, the value exchange rate of the French franc against the euro was set at a fixed parity of €1 = 6.55957 F. Euro coins and notes replaced the franc entirely between 1 January and 17 February 2002. In August 1795, the Monetary Law replaced the ""livre"" (""pound"") with the ""franc"", which was divided into 10 ""décimes"" (""tenths"") and 100 ""centimes"" (""hundredths""). Copper coins were issued in the denominations of 1 centime, 5 centimes, 1 décime, and 2 décimes, designed by Augustin Dupré. After 1801, French copper coins became rare. The 5-centime copper coin was called a ""sou"","
"euros (rounded to the nearest cent) at the fixed rate of 6.55957 francs for 1 euro. Banknotes remained convertible up until 17 February 2012. By that date, franc notes worth some €550 million remained unexchanged, allowing the French state to register the corresponding sum as revenue. The first franc paper money issues were made in 1795. They were assignats in denominations between 100 and 10,000 francs. These followed in 1796 by ""territorial mandate promises"" for 25 up to 500 francs. The treasury also issued notes that year for 25 up to 1000 francs. In 1800, the Bank of France began"
"when dwindling supplies of no-longer minted coins obliged the adoption of the pound as legal tender. Today, France uses the Euro as its currency. French livre The livre () was the currency of Kingdom of France and its predecessor state of West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins. The livre was established by Charlemagne as a unit of account equal to one pound of silver. It was subdivided into 20 ""sous"" (also ""sols""), each of 12 ""deniers"". The word ""livre"" came from the"
"Franc The franc (₣) is the name of several currency units. The French franc was the currency of France until the euro was adopted in 1999 (by law, 2002 de facto). The Swiss franc is a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ""francorum rex"" (Style of the French sovereign: ""King of the Franks"") used on early French coins and until the 18th century, or from the French ""franc"", meaning ""frank"" (and ""free"" in certain contexts, such as ""coup franc"", ""free kick"" ). The countries"
"old franc (equivalent to the new centime) until the introduction of the euro in 1999 (for accounting purposes) and 2002 (for coins and banknotes). The French franc was a commonly held international reserve currency of reference in the 19th and 20th centuries. The first franc was a gold coin introduced in 1360 to pay the Ransom of King John II of France. This coin secured the king's freedom and showed him on a richly decorated horse earning it the name ""franc à cheval"" (meaning ""free on horse"" in French). The obverse legend, like other French coins, gives the king's title"
"that use francs include Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and most of Francophone Africa. Before the introduction of the euro, francs were also used in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, while Andorra and Monaco accepted the French franc as legal tender (Monegasque franc). The franc was also used within the French Empire's colonies, including Algeria and Cambodia. The franc is sometimes Italianised or Hispanicised as the ""franco"", for instance in Luccan franco. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The French franc symbol was an F with a line through it (₣) or, more frequently, only an F. For practical reasons, the banks"
"francs (10, 20 and 100 nouveaux francs). Réunion franc The franc was the currency of Réunion until 1999. Before 1975, Réunion had its own franc, distinct from that of France. After 1975, the French franc circulated. Réunion now uses the euro. The Réunion franc was subdivided into 100 ""centimes"". The French franc circulated on Réunion alone (except for a single coin issue) until 1874, when distinct issues of currency commenced. Initially, notes of the Banque de la Réunion and the Colonial Treasury circulated alongside French currency. In 1896, coins were issued, followed by bank tokens in 1920. In 1945, the"
"French livre The livre () was the currency of Kingdom of France and its predecessor state of West Francia from 781 to 1794. Several different livres existed, some concurrently. The livre was the name of both units of account and coins. The livre was established by Charlemagne as a unit of account equal to one pound of silver. It was subdivided into 20 ""sous"" (also ""sols""), each of 12 ""deniers"". The word ""livre"" came from the Latin word ""libra"", a Roman unit of weight. This system and the denier itself served as the model for many of Europe's currencies, including"
"in France was legislated in 1549. However, in 1577, the livre tournois accounting unit was officially abolished and replaced by the écu, which was at that time the major French gold coin in actual circulation. In 1602, the livre tournois accounting unit was brought back. Louis XIII of France stopped minting the franc in 1641, replacing it with coins based on the silver écu and gold Louis d'or. The écu and louis d'or fluctuated in value, with the écu varying between three and six livres tournois until 1726 when it was fixed at six livres. The louis was initially (1640)"
"official language in the Protectorate, was ""Franken"". Coins displaying German inscriptions and the coat of arms of the Protectorate were circulated and used together with French francs. As banknotes, only French franc bills existed. Countries which formerly used a franc: Collectivities which use a franc: Franc The franc (₣) is the name of several currency units. The French franc was the currency of France until the euro was adopted in 1999 (by law, 2002 de facto). The Swiss franc is a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions. The name is said to derive from"
"before the French Revolution, is approximately equivalent (in terms of purchasing power) to 24 euro or 30 U.S. dollars in 2017. The fact that the coin's name was the same as ECU, the abbreviation of the European Currency Unit, may have assisted the ECU's adoption by France despite its being an acronym of English words. Écu The term écu () or crown may refer to one of several French coins. The first ""écu"" was a gold coin (the ""écu d'or"") minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. ""Écu"" (from Latin ""scutum"") means shield, and the coin"
"disappeared with decimalisation and introduction of the Franc during the French revolution (1st republic) in 1795, but the coin of 5 centimes, the twentieth part of the Franc, inherited the name ""sou"" as a nickname: in the first half of the 20th century, a coin or an amount of 5 francs was still often referred to as ""cent sous"". To this day, in French around the world, ""solde"" means the balance of an account or invoice, and is the specific name of a soldier's salary. Although the ""sou"" as a coin disappeared more than two centuries ago, the word is"
".900 silver, was issued, and circulated to a small extent, until the introduction of the euro. All French franc coins were demonetized in 2005 and are no longer redeemable at the . At the time of the complete changeover to the euro on 1 January 2002, coins in circulation (some produced as recently as 2000) were: Coins were freely exchangeable until 17 February 2005 at Banque de France only (some commercial banks also accepted the old coins but were not required to do so for free after the transition period in 2002), by converting their total value in francs to"
"and the financial markets used the abbreviation FF for the French franc in order to distinguish it from the Belgian franc (FB), the Luxembourgish franc (FL or FLux), et cetera. In the Luxembourgish language, the word for franc is ""Frang"", plural form ""Frangen"". The franc was originally a French gold coin of 3.87 g minted in 1360 on the occasion of the release of King John II (""the good""), held by the English since his capture at the Battle of Poitiers four years earlier. It was equivalent to one ""livre tournois"" (Tours pound). The French franc was the name of"
"50 francs in 1920. 10 franc notes were introduced in 1943. In 1944, the government issued notes for 50 centimes, and 1 and 2 francs. The notes of the Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale continued to circulate after the introduction of the CFA franc. French West African franc The franc was the currency of French West Africa. The French franc circulated, together with distinct banknotes from 1903 and coins from 1944. It was replaced by the CFA franc in 1945. In 1944, aluminium-bronze 50 centimes and 1 franc coins were issued. These were the only coins struck before the introduction of"
"""soldus"", then ""solt"" in the 11th century, then ""sol"" in the 12th century. In the 18th century (Ancien Régime) the spelling of ""sol"" is adapted to ""sou"" so as to be closer to the pronunciation that had previously become the norm for several centuries. In 1795, the livre was officially replaced by the franc and the sou became obsolete as an official currency division. Nevertheless, the term """"sou"""" survived as a slang term for 1/20 of a franc. Thus the large bronze 5-centime coin was called """"sou"""" (for example in Balzac or Victor Hugo), the """"pièce de cent sous"""" (""hundred"
"Réunion franc The franc was the currency of Réunion until 1999. Before 1975, Réunion had its own franc, distinct from that of France. After 1975, the French franc circulated. Réunion now uses the euro. The Réunion franc was subdivided into 100 ""centimes"". The French franc circulated on Réunion alone (except for a single coin issue) until 1874, when distinct issues of currency commenced. Initially, notes of the Banque de la Réunion and the Colonial Treasury circulated alongside French currency. In 1896, coins were issued, followed by bank tokens in 1920. In 1945, the CFA franc was created and was adopted"
"francs were issued in 1887, before the franc became the currency of Tunisia. These were gold 25 rial coins which were also marked ""15 F"" to indicate their value in French francs. In 1891, bronze 1, 2, 5 and 10 centimes, silver 50 centimes, 1 and 2 francs, and gold 10 and 20 francs were introduced, all equal in size and composition to the corresponding French coins. The 1 and 2 centimes were only issued that year. In 1918, holed, nickel-bronze 5, 10 and 25 centimes were introduced, followed, in 1921, by aluminium-bronze 50 centimes, 1 and 2 francs and"
"Monégasque franc The franc (ISO 4217: MCF) was the official currency of the Principality of Monaco until 1995 (""de facto"", 1996 ""de jure""), when it changed to the French Franc. The franc was subdivided into 100 ""centimes"" or 10 ""décimes"". The Monégasque franc circulated alongside the French franc with the same value. Like the French franc, the Monégasque franc was revalued in 1960 at a rate of 100 old francs = 1 new franc. The official euro-to-franc exchange rate was MCF 6.55957 to EUR 1. Today, Monégasque coins have only numismatic value, including the ""fleurs de coins"", or proof-like coins."
"French West African franc The franc was the currency of French West Africa. The French franc circulated, together with distinct banknotes from 1903 and coins from 1944. It was replaced by the CFA franc in 1945. In 1944, aluminium-bronze 50 centimes and 1 franc coins were issued. These were the only coins struck before the introduction of the CFA franc. The ""Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale"" (""Bank of West Africa"") began issuing notes in 1903. 100 franc notes were introduced that year, followed by 5 francs in 1904, 500 francs in 1912, 25 francs in 1917, 1000 francs in 1919 and"
"for 10 years from date of withdrawal. As the last banknote from the previous series had been withdrawn on 31 March 1998 (200 francs, Montesquieu), the deadline for the exchange was 31 March 2008. Along with the Spanish peseta, the French franc was also a ""de facto"" currency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender). It circulated alongside the Monegasque franc, as it did in Monaco, with which it had equal value. These currencies were all replaced by the euro in 2002. French franc The franc (; ; sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as"
"500 francs in 1905, 1 and 2 francs in 1915, and 25 francs in 1922. Between 1942 and 1945, a final series of notes was issued by the Banque de la Martinique in denominations of 5, 25, 100 and 1000 francs. In 1944, the ""Caisse Centrale de la France Libre"" (Central Cashier of Free France) introduced 1000 francs notes. The same year, the ""Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre Mer"" (Central Cashier for Overseas France) introduced notes for 10, 20, 100 and 1000 francs. In 1947, a new series of notes was introduced in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50,"
"the property of individuals regarded as enemies of the Revolution, which included the émigrés and fugitives, hostile priesthood, the deportees, prisoners, those sentenced to death, and the aliens from enemy countries. When the ""Directoire"" came into power in 1795 the Maximum Price Act was lifted. High monetary inflation reemerged and in the next four years Paris was the scene of yet more riots. The ""assignats"" were becoming worthless. France's financial problems were solved during the French Consulate when Napoleon, the First Consul, created the country's new currency, the ""franc germinal"", by the law of 28 March 1803 (""loi du 7"
"were added. In 1944, the liberating Allies introduced dollar-like paper money in denominations between 2 and 1000 francs, as well as a brass 2-franc coin. After the Second World War, while 5, 10 and 20-franc notes were replaced by coins in 1950, as were the 50- and 100-franc notes in the mid-1950s. In 1954, the 10,000-franc notes were introduced. In 1959, banknotes in circulation when the old franc was replaced by the new franc were: The first issue of the new franc consisted of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000-franc notes overprinted with their new denominations of 5, 10, 50 and"
"title ""République française"". The 500 and 5000 franc notes have had the state title since their introductions. The 100 franc notes were replaced by coins in 1976. In 1985, 10,000 franc notes common to all the French Pacific Territories were introduced. These were followed, between 1992 and 1996, by 500, 1000 and 5000 franc notes for all of the French Pacific Territories. The overall design has not changed since 1969. French Polynesian franc The franc is the currency of French Polynesia. It is subdivided into 100 ""centimes"". Since 1945, it has been part of the CFP franc. Until 1914, the"
"franc. Shapes included round, hexagonal and octagonal. In 1948, aluminium 1, 2 and 5 francs were introduced. Aluminium-bronze 20 francs were introduced in 1952, followed by 10 francs in 1965. Cupro-nickel 50 and 100 francs were introduced in 1970, with aluminium-bronze 500 francs added in 1989. From 2013, new coins of 250 francs were put in circulation to complement the other denominations. Between 1910 and 1915, banknotes were introduced in denominations of 5, 20 and 100 francs. Chamber of Commerce notes were introduced in 1919 in denominations of 5, 10 and 50 centimes and 1 franc. The decline in the"
"world's first decimal currency. France introduced the franc in 1795 to replace the livre tournois, abolished during the French Revolution. France introduced decimalisation in a number of countries that it occupied during the Napoleonic period. Dutch guilder decimalised in 1817 (became equal to 100 centen instead of 20 stuivers = 160 duits = 320 penningen), with last pre-decimal coins withdrawn from circulation in 1848. Sweden introduced decimal currency in 1855. The currency riksdaler was divided into 100 öre. The riksdaler was renamed krona in 1873. The Austro-Hungarian Empire decimalised the Austro-Hungarian gulden in 1857, concurrent with its transition from the"
"to the left and French to the right, and one with the alternate arrangement. Banknotes became bilingual in 1887 and, from 1992, banknotes were introduced which were trilingual, with either French or Dutch on the obverse and German and the remaining language on the reverse. Some commemorative coins were issued with German inscriptions but none for circulation. The Franc's value compared to the US dollar varied over the years. After 1971, its lowest mark was in February 1985, when one dollar would have bought 66.31 franc. Its highest standing was in July 1980, when it stood at 27.96 to the"
"when the General Government made an emergency issue of 1000 and 5000 franc notes. These were followed in 1941 by Free French issues for 5, 10, 20, 25, 100 and 1000 francs. The ""Caisse Centrale de la France d'Outre-Mer"" took over paper money production in 1944, issuing notes for 5, 10, 20, 100 and 1000 francs. These continued to circulate as CFA francs after 1945. French Equatorial African franc The franc was the currency of French Equatorial Africa. The French franc circulated, together with distinct banknotes from 1917 and coins from 1942. It was replaced by the CFA franc in"
"countries continue to use the franc as their standard denomination. The value of the French franc was locked to the euro at 1 euro = 6.55957 FRF on 31 December 1998, and after the introduction of the euro notes and coins, ceased to be legal tender after 28 February 2002, although they were still exchangeable at banks until 19 February 2012. Fourteen African countries use the franc CFA (in west Africa, ""Communauté financière africaine""; in equatorial Africa, ""Coopération financière en Afrique centrale""), originally (1945) worth 1.7 French francs and then from 1948, 2 francs (from 1960: 0.02 new franc) but"
"pesos. In 1948, aluminium 1- and 2-franc coins were introduced. These were followed in 1956 by aluminium-bronze 5, 10 and 25 francs. All carried the name ""Afrique Occidentale Française"". In 1957, 10- and 25-franc coins were issued with the name of Togo added. From 1959, coins have been issued by the BCEAO. Nickel 100-franc coins were introduced in 1967, followed by the cupro-nickel 50-franc coins in 1972. Small, steel 1-franc coins were introduced in 1976 (struck until 1995), followed by bimetallic 250 francs in 1992 (struck until 1996). In 2003, bimetallic 200- and 500-franc coins were introduced. When the CFA"
"French Equatorial African franc The franc was the currency of French Equatorial Africa. The French franc circulated, together with distinct banknotes from 1917 and coins from 1942. It was replaced by the CFA franc in 1945. In 1942, brass 50 centime and 1 franc coins were introduced, followed by bronze coins in the same denominations in 1943. In 1917, the General Government of French Equatorial Africa made emergency issues of 1 and 2 franc notes. A provisional issue of 25 franc notes was produced in 1925 by overprinting notes of French West Africa. No further notes were produced until 1940,"