Napoleon I 20 Francs Gold Coin, 1810 (Musée Carnavalet)

A 20 Francs gold coin of Napoleon I, struck in Paris in 1810. The obverse features the laureated head of the Emperor and NAPOLEON EMPEREUR; the reverse shows 20 FRANCS within a wreath. The Musée Carnavalet's records describe it as: gold, 2.3 cm in diameter, 6.45 grams in weight, a specimen found in 1899 during the construction of the Gare d'Orsay. In 1812, James, who had arrived in Paris at the age of nineteen, arranged the purchase of specie and bullion for his brother Nathan. Specie refers to the gold and silver coins themselves, while bullion is the mass of gold and silver before being struck into coins. This is one form of the gold and silver collected at the exchange counters of Paris.