20 Francs Coq or - Démocratie et laïcité

The "Coq Gaulois" has appeared on French coinage since the Revolution, but its association with the Republic was cemented largely through the Third Republic's aggressive use of it as an anti-monarchist symbol. This modern commemorative pulls from that tradition without being part of it — a silver coin gold-plated to evoke the Marianne-era 20 Franc gold pieces that circulated widely from the 1850s through 1914, the so-called "Latin Monetary Union" coinage that once traded at face value across France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy.

The pairing of "démocratie et laïcité" on a single issue reflects the 1905 law separating church and state — still one of the most contested pieces of French legislation.