The First French Empire, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, existing for barely a decade between 1804 and 1814. Rising from the ashes of the French Revolution, it was a period of vast military expansion and political dominance across Europe, driven by ambition, and greatly concerning the other major powers. Napoleon’s Grande Armée achieved a series of stunning victories, notably at Austerlitz, Jena-Auerstedt, and Wagram, which led to the conquest or subjugation of most of continental Europe.

The empire saw the implementation of the Napoleonic Code, a civil code that remains influential today, and the spread of French administrative and legal systems. However, constant warfare and the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 ultimately led to Napoleon’s downfall. The empire collapsed after his defeat and abdication in 1814, with his final attempt at a comeback ending at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Napoleon has been a popular subject in modern numismatics, with some very fine designs, and now T&S Coin have added their own effort to the mix. It’s a composite of different elements, with a coloured and gilded Napoleon taking centre stage. The clever part is what he’s depicted doing. There are some superb military figures in action over a chessboard, all overseen and played by Napoleon. It passes into a background dominated by the Arc de Triomphe, commissioned by Mr Humble himself…

The obverse is that very attractive common design used by this producer, with just the coin title at the top being different. The coin comes boxed with a COA and the mintage is capped at 500. A nice composition.