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100 Francs Georges Méliès
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1995 |
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| Diameter | 37 mm |
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| Obverse description | A period cinematograph camera mounted on a wooden tripod occupies the left-center of the field, rendered in fine detail evoking the early era of silent cinema. To the right, the monogram 'RF' (République Française) appears in large relief lettering above the denomination '100 FRANCS' and the date '1995'. The Republican motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ' is distributed in three segments around the upper and left periphery of the coin. The overall composition, engraved by Joaquin Jimenez, reflects a clean modernist style with strong contrasts between polished fields and matte relief. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a large, high-relief frontal portrait mask of the pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès, rendered with sculptural depth and artistic authority by engraver Pierre Rodier. The face, bald and bearded with a prominent mustache and goatee, fills much of the central field and projects a strong three-dimensional quality characteristic of French commemorative coinage of the period. The legend 'CENTENAIRE DU CINÉMA' curves along the upper periphery in evenly spaced capital letters, while the honoree's name 'GEORGES MÉLIÈS' is inscribed in large capitals across the lower field. The composition commemorates the centenary of cinema, celebrated in 1995. |
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Issued as part of France's ongoing commemorative cinema series, this piece marks the centenary of film — specifically the Lumière brothers' first public screening in December 1895. Méliès, a stage magician turned filmmaker, built his own studio in Montreuil in 1897 and pioneered special effects techniques that mainstream cinema wouldn't systematize for decades. He died nearly destitute in 1938, his films largely destroyed for silver nitrate recovery during World War I.