50 Euros The Little Prince on the Moon

Part of the long-running Monnaie de Paris series commemorating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 1943 novella, this issue appeared as the series was expanding into increasingly elaborate sculptural formats. Saint-Exupéry himself disappeared over the Mediterranean in July 1944 on a reconnaissance mission, never knowing the global reach his book would eventually command. France holds the copyright through the Saint-Exupéry estate, which has been notably protective — and lucrative — in licensing arrangements with the mint.