Coin Pièce French Mint 50 euro Silver 2019 MDP75 Monnaie de paris

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This 50 euro silver coin was issued by the Monnaie de Paris in 2021, as part of the series dedicated to the Patrouille de France. It commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Alpha Jet, the iconic aerobatic aircraft of the French national aerobatic display team, introduced into the squadron in 1981 to replace the Fouga Magister.

The coin is struck in silver with a fineness of 950 thousandths and has a weight of 163.8 grams, corresponding to a 5-ounce module. Its diameter is 50 millimetres. It is produced in Belle Épreuve (BE) quality, a careful striking process characterised by mirror-polished fields and matte reliefs, offering a marked visual contrast between the various depicted elements.

The design is enhanced with colourisation, a technique applied directly to the coin to reproduce the characteristic colours of the Patrouille de France Alpha Jets: the white, blue and red of the official livery, as well as the tricolour smoke trails associated with aerobatic figures. This colourisation gives the coin a particularly realistic rendering of the aircraft in action.

The coin is struck at the Monnaie de Paris workshop (MDP75), the sole institution authorised to produce official French coins. The mintage is limited to 250 specimens, making it an extremely restricted issue.

The Patrouille de France, established in 1953, is the official aerobatic display team of the French Air and Space Force. It is based at the Salon-de-Provence air base and is one of the oldest aerobatic teams in the world still in operation. The Alpha Jet, manufactured by Dassault-Breguet and Dornier, is a light training and tactical support aircraft adopted by several international air forces.