Coin Pièce France 100 francs Silver 1994 A Paris

Remarks:

Sans boite avec certificat

This 100 francs silver coin was issued by the Monnaie de Paris in 1994, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Normandy landings and the campaign to liberate France. It is part of the series dedicated to the Voie de la Liberté (Liberty Road), the historic route followed by Allied forces from the Norman beaches to the borders of Germany. This issue pays particular tribute to Sainte-Mère-Église, an iconic town in the Manche department, the first French municipality to be liberated on the night of 5 to 6 June 1944, widely known for the episode of American paratrooper John Steele, who remained hanging from the steeple of the town church.

The coin is struck in silver with a fineness of 900?, corresponding to an alloy composed of 90% fine silver. It has a weight of 22.2 grams and a diameter of 37 millimetres. The striking was carried out at the Paris Mint workshop A, identifiable by the characteristic hallmark of the Monnaie de Paris.

This coin was produced in Belle Épreuve (BE) version, a carefully executed striking quality characterised by sharp and contrasted reliefs, achieved through the use of polished dies and carefully prepared blanks. This process gives the coin superior aesthetic qualities and definition compared to a regular strike. The mintage is limited to 10,525 examples, making it a rare issue by monetary production standards.

The depicted theme illustrates visual elements directly linked to the liberation of Sainte-Mère-Église, anchoring this coin in a powerful historical context: that of the Second World War and the reconquest of French territory by Allied forces from the summer of 1944.