1 franc FRANCE (1988) 30th Anniversary of French Fifth Republic

in the coin centre head of Charles de Gaulle facing right; along the top edge: CHARLES DE GAULLE; along the bottom edge: RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (French Republic); between the inscriptions Crosses of Lorraine

in the coin centre face value: 1 F. (FRANC) inside six hexagons; along the top edge motto of France: LIBERTÉ • ÉGALITÉ • FRATERNITÉ (liberty, equality, fraternity); along the bottom edge dates: 1958 • 1988

reeded

???  no data

18 II 2002

Émile Rousseau (initials ER in the obverse below de Gaulle's head)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint), Pessac (mint mark before year 1958 in the reverse, after year 1988 privy mark of designer and mint director Emile Rousseau - dolphin)

1988

49 908 011

+ 9 000 in annual boxed sets

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

Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (1890-1970) - French politician and statesman, the president of France in years 1959-1969.



French commemorative coin with denomination of 1 franc from 1988 commemorates the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the French Fifth Republic. On October 5, 1958 owing to de Gaulle the new constitution gave some real executive power to the president. Also the rules of his election were changed. In post-war France (The Fourth Republic), the president was elected by the electoral college and thus he was rather a political puppet than a co-ruler. In 1962, de Gaulle also convinced the French to change the election system for the head of state. In a national referendum, the French supported the changes. Henceforth, the president was to be elected directly. In this way not only he gained the common legitimacy, but also the highest power in comparison to European presidents.

In the coin reverse there is a hexagon (in French l'Hexagone), which is among the French a nickname for their country. Indeed the shape of the Metropolitan France reminds this geometric figure.

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.