The franc, also commonly distinguished as the French franc (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money. It was reintroduced in 1795. After two centuries of inflation, it was redenominated in 1960, with each new franc (NF) being worth 100 old francs. The NF designation was continued for a few years before the currency returned to being simply the franc. Many French residents, though, continued to quote prices of especially expensive items in terms of the old franc, up to and even after the introduction of the euro in 2002. The French franc was a commonly held international reserve currency of reference in the 19th and 20th centuries. Between 1998 and 2002, the conversion of francs to euros was carried out at a rate of 6.55957 francs to 1 euro.
Denier of Charlemagne c. 800
Gros Tournois of Louis IX, 1266
Franc à cheval
Franc à pied
The livre tournois was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account used in Early Modern France.
La Banque Royale: 100 livres Tournois (1720)
Image: Franc à cheval 1360 73001139
Image: Charles V France franc pied 73001141