20 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: 20 / 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 (until 1972) or Pessac (from 1973) (mint mark on the left side of the face value in the reverse, on the right side of the face value privy mark of mint's director Raymond Joly - owl - in years 1965-1974, Emile Rousseau - dolphin - in years 1975-1994, Pierre Rodier - bee - in years 1994-2000 or Gérard Buquoy - horseshoe - in 2001)

1962	48 200 000	owl
1963	190 330 000	owl
1964	127 521 000	owl	+ 25 600 in annual boxed sets
1965	27 024 000	owl	+ 35 000 in annual boxed sets
1966	21 755 000	owl	+ 7 171 in annual boxed sets
1967	138 780 000	owl	+ 2 305 in annual boxed sets
1968	77 408 000	owl	+ 3 000 in annual boxed sets
1969	50 570 000	owl	+ 6 050 in annual boxed sets
1970	70 040 000	owl	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1971	31 080 000	owl	+ 12 000 in annual boxed sets
1972	39 740 000	owl	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1973	45 240 000	owl	+ 79 000 in annual boxed sets
1974	54 250 011	owl	+ 98 800 in annual boxed sets
1975	40 570 011	dolphin	+ 52 000 in annual boxed sets
1976	117 340 211	dolphin	+ 37 500 in annual boxed sets
1977	100 340 011	dolphin	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1978	125 015 011	dolphin	+ 24 000 in annual boxed sets
1979	70 000 011	dolphin	+ 40 500 in annual boxed sets
1980	19 950 011	dolphin	+ 60 000 in annual boxed sets
1981	124 974 011	dolphin	+ 26 000 in annual boxed sets
1982	149 975 011	dolphin	+ 27 500 in annual boxed sets
1983	109 984 411	dolphin	+ 16 561 in annual boxed sets
1984	199 986 611	dolphin	+ 13 836 in annual boxed sets
1985	149 990 011	dolphin	+ 12 500 in annual boxed sets
1986	39 985 011	dolphin	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1987	59 985 011	dolphin	+ 11 956 in annual boxed sets
1988	223 220 011	dolphin	+ 10 565 in annual boxed sets
1989	139 985 011	dolphin	+ 11 438 in annual boxed sets
1990	49 990 011	dolphin	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1991	39 990 011	dolphin	+ 2 500 in annual boxed sets
1992	89 965 011	dolphin	+ 2 698 in annual boxed sets
1993	109 970 011	dolphin	+ 3 095 in annual boxed sets
1994	60 000 000	dolphin
1994	79 969 661	bee	+ 3 707 in annual boxed sets
1995	109 975 011	bee	+ 4 000 in annual boxed sets
1996	139 979 013	bee	+ 5 000 in annual boxed sets
1997	436 216 513	bee	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1998	-	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1999	-	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
2000	83 385 013	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

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.