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100 Francs La Fayette - Palladium issue
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
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| Composition | Palladium (.900) |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of General Lafayette in military uniform, depicted in the neoclassical style after the medallic work of Benjamin Duvivier, with powdered wig tied at the nape and epauleted coat rendered in high relief against a deeply mirrored proof field. The attribution inscription 'D'AP. B. DUVIVIER' appears in small letters at the lower right of the bust. The legend 'GENERAL LA FAYETTE' curves along the upper periphery, flanked by raised dots, while 'REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE' arcs along the lower periphery, also flanked by dots. |
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| Mintage | 1987 - Proof - 7,000 |
| Additional information |
France issued this palladium piece in 1987 to mark the bicentennial lead-up to the Revolution, with La Fayette chosen for his dual role in both the American and French revolutionary moments. Palladium was an unconventional choice — the metal had almost no prior history in French numismatics — selected partly to distinguish this issue from the gold, silver, and platinum versions struck simultaneously in the same four-coin program.
Palladium's extreme price volatility in subsequent decades has made the intrinsic value of this coin swing dramatically, occasionally surpassing the gold equivalent.