1 franc FRANCE (1960-2001)

in coin centre personification of France - figure of Marianne in Phrygian cap sowing cereal leftwards (La Semeuse), in the background the Sun hidden mostly below the horizon; along the left edge: REPUBLIQUE, along the right: FRANÇAISE (French Republic)

below coin centre an olive branch; above in two lines face value: 1 / FRANC (franc); along the bottom edge year of issue; along the top edge motto of France: LIBERTE • EGALITE • FRATERNITE (liberty, equality, fraternity)

reeded

22 XII 1959

18 II 2002

Atelier de gravure (group of designers of the Paris Mint) based on design of Louis Oscar Roty (signature O.ROTY on the bottom of the obverse)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), Paris (1960-1972), Beaumont-le-Roger (1961-1966) or Pessac (from 1973) (mint mark before year of issue in the reverse, after year of issue privy mark of mint's director Raymond Joly - owl - in years 1960-1974, Emile Rousseau - dolphin - in years 1975-1993, Pierre Rodier - bee - in years 1994-2000 or Gérard Buquoy - horseshoe - in 2001)

1960	406 375 000	owl
1961	119 611 306	owl
1962	14 014 136	owl
1964	77 425 000	owl	+ 25 600 in annual boxed sets
1965	44 251 591	owl	+ 35 000 in annual boxed sets
1966	38 037 967	owl	+ 7 171 in annual boxed sets
1967	11 320 000	owl	+ 2 305 in annual boxed sets
1968	51 550 000	owl	+ 3 000 in annual boxed sets
1969	70 595 000	owl	+ 6 050 in annual boxed sets
1970	42 560 000	owl	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1971	42 475 000	owl	+ 12 000 in annual boxed sets
1972	48 250 000	owl	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1973	70 000 000	owl	+ 79 000 in annual boxed sets
1974	82 235 011	owl	+ 98 800 in annual boxed sets
1975	101 685 011	dolphin	+ 52 000 in annual boxed sets
1976	192 518 211	dolphin	+ 37 500 in annual boxed sets
1977	230 085 011	dolphin	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1978	136 580 011	dolphin	+ 24 000 in annual boxed sets
1979	10 011	dolphin	+ 40 500 in annual boxed sets
1980	-	dolphin	+ 60 000 in annual boxed sets
1981	24 011	dolphin	+ 26 000 in annual boxed sets
1982	63 811	dolphin	+ 27 500 in annual boxed sets
1983	84 411	dolphin	+ 16 561 in annual boxed sets
1984	36 511	dolphin	+ 13 836 in annual boxed sets
1985	6 990 011	dolphin	+ 12 500 in annual boxed sets
1986	-	dolphin	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1987	81 011	dolphin	+ 11 956 in annual boxed sets
1988	85 011	dolphin	+ 10 565 in annual boxed sets
1989	83 011	dolphin	+ 11 438 in annual boxed sets
1990	5 011	dolphin	+ 10 000 in annual boxed sets
1991	54 988 011	dolphin	+ 2 500 in annual boxed sets
1992	29 968 011	dolphin	+ 2 698 in annual boxed sets
1993	20 011	dolphin	+ 3 095 in annual boxed sets
1994	4 792 111	bee	+ 3 707 in annual boxed sets
1995	15 011	bee	+ 4 000 in annual boxed sets
1996	-	bee	+ 5 000 in annual boxed sets
1997	-	bee	+ 15 000 in annual boxed sets
1998	-	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
1999	80 432 013	bee	+ 25 000 in annual boxed sets
2000	-	bee	+ 100 000 in annual boxed sets
2001	20 000 013	horseshoe	+ 125 000 in annual boxed sets

1965 - in the reverse small owl (privy mark of Raymond Joly) or large owl;

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;

in annual boxed sets from years 1991-2001 instead of the designer's signature O.ROTY there is inscription: D'AP O.ROTY (D'APRÉS OSCAR ROTY - based on Oscar Roty)

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

In the plant in Beaumont-le-Roger 64 613 379 coins were produced in 1961; 4 856 591 pieces in 1965 and 10 468 148 coins in 1966. Exactly the same stamp as in the Paris plant was used. It is therefore, impossible to distinguish these coins from the ones produced in Paris.

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.