French Mint 50 Euros Silver BE 2014 - Normandie (Monnaie de Paris)

50 Euros - France 2014.

Theme : Normandie" (Series : "Les Grands Navires Français").

Silver 950 ‰ - Proof

5 oz - 163 8 g - Ø 50 mm - 250 pieces

This "Les grands navires français" series launched in 2012 by the Monnaie de Paris pays tribute to the greatest French ships through the ages. Each year for five years, a sailing ship, military vessel or ocean liner is honoured.

The Normandie, a liner belonging to the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, was built in 1931 by the Chantiers de Penhoët in Saint-Nazaire. Considered the apotheosis of luxury and refinement, it is the symbol of France in the 1930s. The Normandie is the largest luxury liner. Requisitioned by the United States in 1941, she was renamed USS Lafayette, and after a fire in 1942 she was demolished in 1946. The Normandie leaves a lasting impression in people's memories and to this day remains one of the most luxurious liners in history.

The Normandie is shown in three-quarter view on the front. The first two chimneys give off long plumes of smoke. The third chimney serves as a kennel. The name of the liner is inscribed in the style of the transatlantic company posters of the time. The shadows of the three chimneys are reflected on the sea.
The reverse is a composition common to liners, found on all five pieces in the series: a portion of the porthole topped by the liner's smokestacks sending plumes of smoke into the air.