France 10 and 50 Francs (with Hercules) 1965 to 1980

Now here is something you do not see every day: a modern silver coin made for circulation. Back in the mid-1960s just about all silver coins (worldwide) were removed from circulation and replaced with silver-colored coins made out of non-precious metal, such as copper-nickel. These 10 and 50 franc coins from France are an exception.

(Note: there is a modern 5 franc coin that looks like these 10 and 50 franc coins, but the 5 franc coins are made of copper-nickel and are worth very little.)

10 FRANCS (1965 to 1973): 0.723 troy ounces silver
50 FRANCS (1974 to 1980): 0.868 troy ounces silver

To find the value of these coins, first compute the Base Value (BV) due to silver content, then add a collector premium due to collector demand.

To find BV, multiply the current price of silver by the silver content. For instance, if silver is selling for $15 US dollars per troy ounce (look it up, it changes continuously; see kitco.com), the BV for a 10 franc coin is 0.723 x 15 = $10.80.

Next, add the collector premium, as follows:

10 FRANCS
worn: BV + $0 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: BV + $0
well preserved: BV + $8
fully uncirculated: BV + $16
10 francs dated 1966 and 1967 are very plentiful, divide the collector premium by two

50 FRANCS
worn: BV + $0 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: BV + $0
well preserved: BV + $2
fully uncirculated: BV + $8
50 francs dated 1980 are quite scarce, multiply the collector premium by four

These values are catalog values. Please refer to our Important Terminology page for an explanation about catalog values.
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