10 centimes FRANCE (1962-2001)

in the coin centre personification of France - bust of Marianne in a Phrygian cap facing left; along the top edge: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (French Republic)

in the coin centre in two lines large face value: 10 / CENTIMES; below year of issue; along the bottom edge wreath of the laurel branch on the left and cereal ear on the right; along the top right edge in two lines motto of France: LIBERTE • EGALITE / • FRATERNITE • (liberty, equality, fraternity)

plain

13 XI 1961

18 II 2002

Henri Lagriffoul (signature LAGRIFFOUL at Marianne's neck in the obverse), Adrien Dieudonné (signature A.DIEUDONNE before LIBERTE along the reverse edge)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), Paris (1962-1972), Beaumont-le-Roger (1965-1966) or Pessac (from 1973) (mint mark on the left side of the year of issue in the reverse, on the right side of the year of issue privy mark of mint's director Raymond Joly - owl - in years 1962-1974, Emile Rousseau - dolphin - in years 1975-1994, Pierre Rodier - bee - in years 1994-2000 or Gérard Buquoy - horseshoe - in 2001)

1962	29 100 000	owl
1963	217 601 000	owl
1964	93 434 600	owl	+ 25 600 in annual boxed sets
1965	41 255 000	owl	+ 35 000 in annual boxed sets
1966	16 429 171	owl	+ 7 171 in annual boxed sets
1967	196 730 305	owl	+ 2 305 in annual boxed sets
1968	111 703 000	owl	+ 3 000 in annual boxed sets
1969	129 536 050	owl	+ 6 050 in annual boxed sets
1970	77 030 000	owl	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1971	26 292 000	owl	+ 12 000 in annual boxed sets
1972	45 715 000	owl	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1973	58 079 000	owl	+ 79 000 in annual boxed sets
1974	92 088 811	owl	+ 98 800 in annual boxed sets
1975	74 502 011	dolphin	+ 52 000 in annual boxed sets
1976	137 355 711	dolphin	+ 37 500 in annual boxed sets
1977	140 135 011	dolphin	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1978	154 384 011	dolphin	+ 24 000 in annual boxed sets
1979	140 040 511	dolphin	+ 40 500 in annual boxed sets
1980	140 010 011	dolphin	+ 60 000 in annual boxed sets
1981	100 000 011	dolphin	+ 26 000 in annual boxed sets
1982	110 002 511	dolphin	+ 27 500 in annual boxed sets
1983	150 000 972	dolphin	+ 16 561 in annual boxed sets
1984	200 002 447	dolphin	+ 13 836 in annual boxed sets
1985	170 004 511	dolphin	+ 12 500 in annual boxed sets
1986	150 007 011	dolphin	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1987	149 995 967	dolphin	+ 11 956 in annual boxed sets
1988	145 890 576	dolphin	+ 10 565 in annual boxed sets
1989	179 995 449	dolphin	+ 11 438 in annual boxed sets
1990	180 002 011	dolphin	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1991	179 986 511	dolphin	+ 2 500 in annual boxed sets
1992	129 970 709	dolphin	+ 2 698 in annual boxed sets
1993	149 971 106	dolphin	+ 3 095 in annual boxed sets
1994	103 000 000	dolphin
1994	76 971 768	bee	+ 3 707 in annual boxed sets
1995	169 980 011	bee	+ 4 000 in annual boxed sets
1996	179 981 013	bee	+ 5 000 in annual boxed sets
1997	551 991 013	bee	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1998	350 025 013	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1999	-	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
2000	60 101 013	bee	+ 101 000 in annual boxed sets
2001	-	horseshoe	+ 125 000 in annual boxed sets

In years 1991, 1992 and 1993 there exist coins with reverses not rotated by 180° in respect to obverses (medal alignment in American terminology), 2500, 2698 and 3095 pieces were produced in respective years and placed in annual boxed sets;

1994 - coins with a privy mark of mint's director Emile Rousseau dolphin or with the privy mark of Pierre Rodier bee

Privy marks of the general engravers of the Mint of Paris, which can be found on French coins produced after 1944:

Lucien Bazor	1931-1958		wing
Raymond Joly	1958-1974		owl
Emile Rousseau	1974-1994		dolphin
Pierre Rodier	1994-2000		bee
Gérard Buquoy	2001-2002		horseshoe
Serge Levet	2003		heart
Hubert Larivière	2004-2010		horn
Yves Sampo	from 2011		rosette

The entire year 1965 and almost entire 1966 was produced in the Beaumont-le-Roger plant, but using exactly the same stamp as the Paris plant was using. In 1966 only 32 000 coins come from the Paris plant. It is however, impossible to distinguish these from the ones produced in Beaumont-le-Roger.

Marianne - the allegory of Liberty - the symbol of the culture and the national emblem of France. Her images adorn not only coins, but also stamps, state seals, institutions logos, courts of law. Marianne is presented mostly in the Phrygian cap (cap of liberty). Many monuments and paintings were devoted to her. She is often armed leading the French people to fight for liberty, equality and fraternity. Marianne's image changed over the years. Anonymous Marianne was represented by faces of movie stars such as Brigitte Bardot or Catherine Deneuve. Below the official logo of France and the French government.



The Paris Mint (La Monnaie de Paris) dating back to the 6th century is the oldest French institution, and some would say - oldest institution in the world. The mint office is located in the center of Paris in a complex called Hotel des Monnaies, which was opened on December 20, 1775. A cornucopia is the symbol placed on any coin minted by the Paris Mint from January 1, 1880. The second character visible on coins was a symbol of the general engraver (Graveur general). The tradition of this job dates back to 1547 when Henry II of Valois appointed a general engraver as the only person authorized to create the king's portrait. Only the design prepared by the general engraver could have been copied to the coins stamps in national mints. Starting from 2001, the heads of engravers workshop in the Paris Mint do not hold this traditional title anymore, but their privy marks still appear on French coins next to the mint mark.

The name of the French mint - La Monnaie de Paris - suggests that the plant producing coins is located in the French capital. This is however, only the company name and factories were placed in various French cities. At the moment, the only place producing coins of France (and of some other countries) is Pessac near Bordeaux.