Selling or Buying Gold Coins in Le Havre: A Guide for English-Speaking Visitors

Le Havre is a regular port of call for cruise ships, often billed as the gateway to Paris, and plenty of passengers spend their day in the city itself rather than on the long road trip to the capital. The centre, rebuilt after the Second World War to plans by the architect Auguste Perret, is listed by UNESCO as Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret. It is also a good place to see a very French habit up close: buying and selling gold coins over the counter.

Whether you are a visitor with a few inherited Napoleons in your luggage, or a collector curious about French gold, here is what to know before walking into a coin dealer in Le Havre. This is general information, not investment or tax advice.

The French gold coins you will see

France struck gold coins for more than a century on a common standard, and many of them are still traded every day. The most common is the 20 francs gold piece, known in France simply as the Napoleon, whatever head it actually carries.

The 20 francs coin exists in several designs: the heads of Napoleon I and Napoleon III, the standing Génie of the Third Republic, and the Marianne with a rooster on the reverse, struck from 1899 to 1914. Because they share the same weight and fineness, most of them trade at the same bullion price. A few rare dates and coins in exceptional condition are the exception, and are valued as collectors’ pieces.

The Swiss Vreneli and coins from Belgium and Italy follow the same 6.45 g standard, a legacy of the Latin Monetary Union of 1865. The Sovereign is just as familiar in France as at home; our piece on gold Sovereigns in France explains why.

What to bring

A coin sale in France is quick if you come prepared. Bring:

1. A passport or national ID card. French professionals must identify private sellers of precious metals and record each purchase.
2. Your bank details (IBAN). A professional buyer in France cannot pay a private seller in cash for gold, whatever the amount. Payment is by bank transfer or cheque.
3. Any proof of purchase you have. An invoice with the date and price matters for tax, as explained below.
4. The coins in their holders. Do not clean them. Cleaning lowers the value of anything with collector interest, and it does not change the gold content.

For a visitor whose ship leaves the same evening, the bank details are the key point: a cheque drawn on a French bank is awkward to cash abroad, while a transfer to your own account works wherever you live.

What is checked at the counter

A good estimate is done in front of you and takes a few minutes per coin. The dealer will usually:

• Identify the coin: country, design, date and mint mark.
• Weigh it and measure it: a 20 francs coin should weigh 6.45 g and measure 21 mm across. A small deviation from wear is normal; a large one is not.
• Check the look and the sound: the edge, the relief, the colour and sometimes the ring of the coin on a hard surface.
• Test it if in doubt, with a non-destructive method. Our guide to spotting counterfeit gold and silver coins explains which checks catch which kinds of fake.
• Grade it, if the date or condition suggests it is worth more than its gold.

The price for common coins is then based on the day’s gold price, minus the dealer’s margin. Ask for the figure per coin, and ask whether any coin is being valued above its gold content and why.

In the city centre, Maison Or & Bijoux on the Hôtel de Ville square buys and sells gold coins such as the 20 francs Napoleon, the Marianne and Rooster, the Sovereign and the 50 pesos, with free estimates carried out in front of the customer. Its site states that it pays by bank transfer, including instant transfer, or by cheque, never in cash, and it is open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm.

French tax when you sell

The French Ministry of the Economy explains that a person resident in France who sells precious metals, which include gold coins struck after 1800, owes a flat tax of 11 % of the sale price plus 0.5 % of CRDS, whatever the amount. A resident can instead opt for the capital-gains regime if they can prove the purchase date and price, or prove ownership for more than 22 years, after which the gain can be exempt.

If you are not resident in France, the position depends on your own country’s rules and any tax treaty, so check before selling a large quantity. Either way, ask the dealer how tax is handled on the purchase document before you sign.

Buying coins in Le Havre

Buying is simpler than selling. Investment gold coins are exempt from VAT in the European Union, so the price is the gold value plus the dealer’s premium. Ask for the premium in euros and as a percentage, and keep the invoice: it proves the price and date if you sell later in France.

Two points matter for travellers. First, think about how you will carry the coins home. Under the EU’s cash controls regulation, gold coins with a gold content of at least 90 % count as cash, so anyone entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash and such coins combined must declare it. A cruise that sails on to Southampton or beyond leaves the EU. Second, check the import rules of your home country, which may have their own declaration or tax requirements.

A short checklist

• Passport or ID card, plus your IBAN.
• Any invoices, kept with the coins.
• Uncleaned coins, in holders.
• A rough idea of the day’s gold price, so you can check the offer.
• Time to read the purchase document, including the 48-hour withdrawal period that French law gives a private seller.

With those in hand, a gold coin sale or purchase in Le Havre fits easily into a day ashore.

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