The First French Empire began on 18 may 1804, with the attribution to Napoleon Bonaparte, who was already at the helm of the nation as First Consul, of the title "Emperor of the French".

During the Empire, the values ​​already in use in the previous period of the Consulate were maintained, that is the ¼ franc, ½ franc, 1 franc, 2 francs and 5 francs (minted in silver), 20 and 40 francs (in gold), to which were added the less common 5 (produced in copper only in the year 1808 by the mint of Strasbourg) and 10 cent (in a alloy called "billon", containing 20% ​​silver.) coins.

The new coins basically reproduced the design of the consulate series, with the different inscription "Napoleon Empereur" on the obverse instead of "Bonaparte Premier Consul", while on the reverse there was still the inscription "Republique Française", despite the new form of government. Two other series were later made, the first with the effigie of Napoleon surrounded by a laurel wreath, but still with the inscription "Republique Française" on the reverse, the second with the same design on the obverse but with the new inscription "Empire Français" on the reverse.

The French Empire produced the coins in a considerable number of mints, which were located on the territory of France and other countries of the Empire. Each mint engraved its mint mark on the coins, ie:

• A - Paris
• B - Rouen
• BB - Strasbourg
• CL - Genoa
• D - Lyon
• G - Geneva
• H - La Rochelle
• I - Limoges
• K - Bordeaux
• L - Bayonne
• M - Toulouse
• MA - Marseille
• Q - Perpignan
• R - Rome
• T - Nantes
• U - Turin
• W - Lille
• - Utrecht

The imperial period ended with the Restoration of 1814, however Napoleon regained power for a short period, from 20 march to 22 june 1815, which was called "Hundred days". During this period the minting of coins resumed with the effigy of the Emperor.

Below is the list of First French Empire coins:

• 5 centesimi
• 10 centesimi
• ¼ di Franco
• ½ Franco
• 1 Franco
• 2 Franchi
• 5 Franchi
• 20 Franchi
• 40 Franchi