100 francs FRANCE (1954-1958)

in the coin centre personification of France - Marianne's head in a Phrygian cap with a flaming torch facing right; along the right edge in two lines: REPUBLIQUE / FRANÇAISE (French Republic)

on the left side in two lines face value: 100 / FRANCS, below year of issue; on the right along the coin edge olive branches and cereal ears; along the top edge in two lines motto of France: LIBERTE • EGALITE / • FRATERNITE • (liberty, equality, fraternity)

reeded

14 X 1953

26 XII 1966

Robert Cochet (initials RC behind Marianne's head in the obverse and signature R.COCHET along the bottom edge of the reverse)

La Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) (mint mark before year of issue in the reverse, below the year of issue privy mark of mint's director Lucien Bazor - wing - in years 1954-1958 or Raymond Joly - owl - after year of issue 1958)

plant Paris (no letter among olive leaves in the reverse),

plant Beaumont-le-Roger (letter B among olive leaves in the reverse)

	Paris	Beaumont-le-Roger
1954	97 285 500	86 260 628	wing
1955	152 517 500	136 584 872	wing
1956	7 578 334	19 154 500	wing
1957	11 312 000	25 702 000	wing
1958	3 256 000	54 071 500	wing or owl

1954-1958 - no letter (plant Paris) or letter B (plant Beaumont-le-Roger)

1955B - wide ribbon at Marianne's cap in the obverse or narrow ribbon

1958 - coins with the privy mark of Lucien Bazor's wing or with the Raymond Joly's owl

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.