50 Euros François Mitterrand

Part of the Banque de France's ongoing "Grandes Figures de l'Histoire de France" program, this issue marks the centenary of Mitterrand's birth in 1916. Mitterrand remains the longest-serving president under the Fifth Republic, elected twice — in 1981 and 1988 — and the first Socialist to hold the office in that constitutional framework. His presidency saw the abolition of the death penalty in 1981 and the nationalization of major French banks and industrial groups, a policy later partially reversed under cohabitation governments.

The .920 fineness is specific to this French commemorative gold series rather than the standard .999 used in bullion issues — a deliberate choice to distinguish collector pieces from investment-grade product.