Written by the Maison Or & Bijoux Le Havre team · updated
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris, since 2002 |
| Silver | 333 to 999 fine depending on the series |
| Gold | 920 to 999.9 fine |
| Face values | 5 euros upwards, up to 10,000 euros |
| Packaging | Blister, card, folder or case; BU or proof |
| Use | Legal tender in France, no circulation in other euro countries |
| Mint signature | Horn of plenty |
A Hercules 10 euros, a regional coin for Upper Normandy, a tiny gold 100 euros: since 2002 the Monnaie de Paris has struck silver and gold euros alongside circulation coins, legal tender in France only. Many were offered at face value between 2008 and 2015 and now sit in drawers, in blisters or boxed sets.
The decorated side identifies the series: Roty's Sower updated in 2008-2010, outline and sights of a region on the regional euros (2010-2012), Hercules flanked by his two figures after Dupré in 2011-2013, then artwork by Sempé, Uderzo or the Smurfs.
The value, the year and the name of the Republic. On the Upper Normandy regional euros, the value stands between laurel and oak, surrounded by the motto LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ and three hexagons. The horn of plenty confirms a Monnaie de Paris strike.
Sorted by face value, starting with the 10 euros, by far the most common in family collections. Mintages come from the sources listed below the table; the list is deliberately selective.
| Value | Series | Dates | Fineness and size | Struck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 euros | Sower walking | 2008 | Silver 500, 10 g, 27 mm | 2,000,000 |
| 10 euros | Sower walking | 2009 | Silver 900, 12 g, 29 mm | 2,000,000 |
| 10 euros | Regional euros | 2010 | Silver 900, 10 g, 29 mm | Varies by region |
| 10 euros | Upper Normandy (regional euros) | 2011 | Silver 500, 10 g, 29 mm | 80,000 |
| 10 euros | Upper Normandy (regional euros) | 2012 | Silver 500, 10 g, 29 mm | 122,500 |
| 10 euros | Hercules | 2012, 2013 | Silver 500, 10 g, 29 mm | 500,000 each year |
| 10 euros | Values of the Republic (Sempé) | 2014 | Silver 333, 17 g, 31 mm | 250,000 per design |
| 10 euros | Astérix and the values of the Republic | 2015 | Silver 333, 17 g, 31 mm | 125,000 per design |
| 15 euros | Sower walking | 2008 | Silver 900, 15 g, 31 mm | 500,000 |
| 25 euros | Sower walking | 2009 | Silver 900, 18 g, 33 mm | 250,000 |
| 50 euros | Sempé, Astérix, Smurfs | 2014, 2015, 2020 | Silver 900, 41 g, 41 mm | 50,000 or 20,000 depending on the coin |
| 100 euros | Hercules | 2011 to 2013 | Silver 900, 50 g, 47 mm | 50,000 |
| 100 euros | Sower walking | 2008 to 2010 | Gold 999.9, 3.1 g, 15 mm | 50,000 per year |
Sower, Hercules and regional euros: Numismatiquement vôtre, with Arthur Maury for the 2008 5 euros; Upper Normandy 2011 and 2012: Stash of Coins, the 2012 figure also given by Numismatiquement vôtre; pictorial series: Stash of Coins and CGB.
First note the face value and the date. They usually point to a single row of the table, but not always to the same alloy: a 2009 Sower 10 euros weighs 12 g at 900 fine, a 2012 Upper Normandy 10 euros only 10 g at 500 fine.
Then put the coin on an accurate scale and measure it. Those two figures separate the series better than the eye, because the fineness is rarely struck on the coin. A 10 euros of 17 g and 31 mm belongs to the 2014-2015 pictorial series, at just 333 fine.
Finally look at the packaging, which is part of the coin: blister or card for brilliant uncirculated, case and numbered certificate for proof.
From 2008 the Monnaie de Paris offered the general public silver and gold coins sold at face value. The Sower walking opened the way until 2010, with values from 5 to 500 euros.
The regional euros followed from 2010 to 2012: one 10 euros per region per year, 900 fine in the first year and then 500 fine. Hercules, from 2011 to 2013, revived the group engraved by Augustin Dupré during the Revolution, in Joaquin Jimenez's version. The Values of the Republic series came next, from 2013 to 2015, drawn by Sempé and then Uderzo.
Later issues became more thematic: Excellence à la française, the Smurfs in 2020, the bicentenary of Napoleon's death in 2021.
Hardly any die varieties are known on these coins. What separates two examples is their finish, BU or proof, and the condition of the packaging. One issue sometimes existed in both finishes, with very different mintages.
Each region has its own design and its name spelled out; mintages vary widely from one to the next, from a few tens of thousands to several hundred thousand.
Fakes concentrate on gold. A weight that is off, a poorly drawn horn of plenty or an unnumbered certificate are all warning signs; see spotting a fake coin.
A coin that never circulated does not wear: it suffers from handling and time.
More in coin grades and cleaning a coin, or rather not doing it.
Le Havre was part of Upper Normandy when the Monnaie de Paris struck its regional euros. The 2011 10 euros brings together Rouen cathedral, the Étretat cliffs and the Pont de Normandie, which spans the Seine estuary; the 2012 coin pays tribute to Gustave Flaubert and his heroine Salammbô. For the 500th anniversary of the town, founded in 1517, the Monnaie de Paris also issued a “Le Havre 1517-2017” tourist token in 2017: a souvenir medal, not a euro coin.
Yes, 500 fine for the 2011 and 2012 coins, which weigh 10 g for 29 mm. The 2010 regional euros are given as 900 fine.
No. It is a Monnaie de Paris souvenir, with no face value in euros and no legal tender status.
The two series use different alloys: 10 g at 500 fine for the 2012-2013 Hercules, 12 g at 900 fine for the 2009 Sower.
Keep it intact, without opening the packaging. To find out what it contains, bring it as it is to a free valuation.