Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 francs Hercule de Dupré Epreuve de contrôle
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 180 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents the celebrated Hercules group composition designed by Augustin Dupré. The heroic nude figure of Hercules, wearing the leontè (lion's skin) over his shoulder, stands frontally at center, serving as the unifying force between the allegorical figures of Liberté on the left, who holds a pike surmounted by a Phrygian cap, and Égalité on the right, who bears the mason's level as her attribute. The Republican motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ' is inscribed in the surrounding legend, and the engraver's name 'Dupré' appears in the field. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Monnaie de Paris, Paris (and Pessac starting 1973), France (864-date) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The "épreuve de contrôle" is a specific category of French mint artifact — a lead striking used internally by the Monnaie de Paris to verify die alignment, depth, and relief before committing to production runs in silver or other final metals. These are not trial pieces in the commemorative sense; they are working documents, produced in lead precisely because its softness captures die detail under lower pressure and reveals flaws that harder alloys might mask.
The GEM references 159.1 and 159.2 suggest two die states or striking variants were formally catalogued, which is unusual and implies documented die progression at the control stage.