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100 francs Charlemagne Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 15 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a crowned portrait bust of Charlemagne facing left, rendered after an engraving by Carola Tietz, whose name appears as C. TIETZ in the field. The legend CHARLE MAGNE arcs across the upper portion of the coin, while the dates · 742 814 · appear in the lower field, referencing the emperor's birth and death years. The portrait is executed in a refined classical style befitting the commemoration of the Frankish monarch. |
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
The Charlemagne 100 francs was part of France's "Grands Hommes" commemorative series, and the essai striking of 1990 was produced in strictly limited numbers by the Monnaie de Paris as a pattern intended for official approval before the circulation issue proceeded. Essais from this series were sold directly to collectors and never circulated. The GEM reference places this firmly within the modern French essai classification system codified by Gadoury and Elie.
Charlemagne's connection to French coinage runs deep — his monetary reforms of the 770s established the livre-sou-denier system that underpinned Western European currency for nearly a thousand years.