Coin France 5 Centimes Cérès - Third Républic - 1876 A Paris

This 10 centimes coin was issued in 1876 under the French Third Republic, struck at the Bordeaux mint, identified by the letter K. It belongs to the Cérès series, one of the most iconic issues in 19th-century French coinage.

The obverse of the coin features the bust of Cérès, the Roman goddess of harvests and agriculture, depicted in profile facing right, wearing a crown of wheat ears. This effigy, designed by Albert-Désiré Barre, is accompanied by the inscription RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE and the year of issue. The reverse displays the face value at the centre, surrounded by a wreath composed of olive and oak branches, with the legend LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ.

Made of bronze, this coin has a diameter of 30 millimetres and a weight of 9.76 grams. These physical characteristics comply with the monetary standards defined for this denomination during that period.

The mintage of this issue amounts to 601,500 specimens, a relatively modest figure for a circulation coin, making it a less common example than certain other years of the same series. The Bordeaux mint, whose distinctive letter K is placed beneath the bust of Cérès on the obverse, produced French coins for several centuries before its final closure in 1879, making this strike one of the last series issued by this historic mint.

This coin belongs to a pivotal period in French monetary history, marked by the consolidation of republican institutions and the gradual reorganisation of the national numismatic production system.