France has a rich selection of Gold and Silver commemorative coins. These coins are minted by Monnaie de Paris, which is a state owned industrial and commercial company. Monnaie de Paris has a distinctive different mark (the corn of abundance) guaranteeing "Monnaie de Paris’s quality, origin and authenticity of its collector coins". A second mark, representing the General Engraver Master, is also engraved on their coins; currently the French horn, a few waves and a fish’s silhouette.
Due to the large number of coins released every year, each set of coins, grouped by years, are being described on their own article as shown in the following list.
- Coins issued in 2002
- Coins issued in 2003
- Coins issued in 2004
- Coins issued in 2005
- Coins issued in 2006
- Coins issued in 2007
- Coins issued in 2008
These articles however, do not cover neither the French €2 commemorative coins nor the French franc commemorative coins. Also, other countries' euro Gold and Silver collections can be seen here.
- Different marks
-
Monnaie de Paris’s seal of quality "corn of abundance"
-
current General Engraver Master’s mark "French horn, a few waves and a fish’s silhouette".
On May 2008, besides the shortage of one-ounce round blanks of silver at the U.S. Mint and the Royal Canadian Mint, the French Mint has confirmed that they will mint several 5, 15 and 100 euro coins in 2009. The Paris Mint and the national postal service said Tuesday that 5-euro and 15-euro coins will be available in silver while the 100-euro coin will be in gold.
Interesting enough, a further limited set of gold and silver coins will be issued by 2010, with the highest value a gold 500-euro coin was also recently announce by the French Mint.
Famous quotes containing the words gold, silver and/or coins:
“In our daily intercourse with men, our nobler faculties are dormant and suffered to rust. None will pay us the compliment to expect nobleness from us. Though we have gold to give, they demand only copper.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“His golden locks time hath to silver turned;
O time too swift, O swiftness never ceasing!
His youth ‘gainst time and age hath ever spurned,
But spurned in vain; youth waneth by increasing.
Beauty, strength, youth are flowers but fading seen;
Duty, faith, love are roots, and ever green.”
—George Peele (1559–1596)
“No Time, spoke the clocks, no God, rang the bells,
I drew the white sheet over the islands
And the coins on my eyelids sang like shells.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)