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5 francs Voltaire Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1994 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 29 mm |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a quill pen prominently displayed in the central field as a symbol of Voltaire's literary legacy, accompanied by a facsimile of his cursive signature 'Voltaire'. The Panthéon in Paris, where Voltaire is interred, appears in the background as an architectural motif. The date '1994', the denomination '5F', and the word 'ESSAI' are inscribed in the field, with mint marks present. The Republican motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ' is rendered as the circular peripheral legend. |
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| Mintage | 1994 - (fr) Essai - 1,850 |
| Additional information |
Issued to mark the tercentenary of Voltaire's birth, this essai — a trial or pattern piece struck by the Monnaie de Paris for official approval before production release — circulated almost exclusively into collector hands rather than commerce. The French Fifth Republic's commemorative franc program in the 1990s regularly produced these nickel-clad trials in small quantities, and the GEM reference designation confirms its status within that systematized issue sequence.
Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet in Paris in 1694. The 300th anniversary prompted several French cultural commemorations that year.