2 francs Semeuse Piéfort argent

The Semeuse design by Louis-Oscar Roty had just been adopted for the small silver denominations when these piéforts were struck in 1898, making this among the earliest piéfort strikings of what would become one of France's most enduring coin types. Piéforts of this period were produced almost exclusively for presentation and archival purposes — the Monnaie de Paris maintained sets for official records, and examples occasionally reached collectors through institutional channels rather than open sale.

Roty reportedly considered the Semeuse his finest work. The type remained in production, with interruptions, until 1959.