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10 Francs Victor Hugo
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
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| Thickness | 2.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | A richly detailed allegorical composition commemorating Victor Hugo occupies the entire field. At the upper left, the denomination '10 FRANCS' is inscribed on two lines, with the name 'VICTOR HUGO' appearing below it. An open book with a quill pen, a theatrical mask evoking Hugo's career as a playwright, and figures from his literary works — including Cosette, Gavroche astride a barricade, and the silhouette of Notre-Dame de Paris in the background — fill the central and lower field. Hugo's facsimile signature appears within the composition. The circular legend reads 'REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE', and the date '1985' is incorporated into the design. |
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| Mintage | 1985 - (fr) F. 370/2 - Essai tranche type B - 1985 - (fr) F. 370/3 - Tranche type A - 10,000,511 1985 - (fr) F. 370/4 - Tranche type B - 1985 - Essai - 1,850 |
| Additional information |
Issued to mark the centenary of Hugo's death, this coin was part of a broader French commemorative program of the 1980s that repeatedly tapped literary and republican figures as the franc system approached its final decades. Hugo's political trajectory — elected to the National Assembly, exiled by Napoleon III, returning triumphant in 1870 — made him uniquely serviceable to the Fifth Republic's self-image. He died in 1885 with a state funeral that drew an estimated two million mourners to the streets of Paris, then the largest public gathering in French history.