5 Francs Eiffel Tower

Issued to mark the centennial of the Eiffel Tower's completion for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, this piece came out of a broader French commemorative program that also included gold and base-metal variants under the same design. The .900 silver version carries the F#342/2 reference, distinguishing it from the piedfort issue struck at double thickness for collectors. Gustave Eiffel's structure had originally been intended as a temporary installation — slated for demolition in 1909 before its value as a wireless telegraph antenna saved it.