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100 Francs Jules Dumont d'Urville
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Reverse description | A large frontal portrait of an elephant seal dominates the upper central field, depicted with prominent whiskers and a serene expression. In the middle ground to the right, a second, smaller seal is shown resting on rocky terrain, with glacial formations visible in the far background. The engravers' names 'PONCE·BUQUOY' appear along the lower right rim. The date '1992' is inscribed at the base of the design, flanked by small decorative elements. The circular legend 'TERRES AUSTRALES ET ANTARCTIQUES FRANCAISES' runs along the upper and left periphery of the coin. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Dumont d'Urville completed three major Pacific and Antarctic voyages before dying in France's first major railway disaster in 1842 — a derailment near Versailles that killed over fifty passengers when wooden carriages caught fire. The commemorative was issued 150 years after that wreck, which also claimed his wife and son.
The Versailles rail disaster accelerated French railway safety legislation, though slowly. That d'Urville's death came not at sea but in a burning train carriage remains one of exploration history's more brutal ironies.