NAPOLEON III - 2 FRANCS BARE HEAD 1854 PARIS - PROOF - NGC PF61

Napoleon III (1852-1870), 2 francs with bare head, 1854, struck at Paris.

Obverse: bare head of Napoleon III left, signed BARRE below the bust. Reverse: denomination 2 FRANCS and date within a laurel wreath, legend EMPIRE FRANÇAIS. Mint letter A (Paris) below the wreath.

Proof, with mirror fields. Small handling marks and a few hairlines. Proof.

Note: proofs were carefully prepared special strikings, produced in very small numbers for coin cabinets and collectors, distinct from circulation coins. For a common year such as 1854, a proof example like this one is considerably rarer and more sought after than the regular issue.