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50 Francs 'Hercules'
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974-1980 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The classical Hercules group after Augustin Dupré's celebrated design: the heroic figure of Hercules stands at center, facing forward, flanked by the allegorical figures of Liberty on his left, holding a fasces, and Equality on his right, holding a set square; Hercules unites the two figures by clasping their hands, symbolizing the reconciliation of liberty and equality through fraternity. The national motto 'LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ FRATERNITÉ' arcs along the upper field, while the engraver's name 'Dupré' appears as a signature in the lower field. A beaded border frames the entire composition. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Hercules 50 Francs was introduced in 1974 as France's first circulating silver coin of significant size since the monetary disruptions of the mid-twentieth century — a deliberate policy decision by the French Treasury to reintroduce a substantive silver denomination into everyday commerce. It didn't last. Rising silver prices through the late 1970s pushed the metal value uncomfortably close to face value, and the series ended in 1980.
The design itself reaches back to Augustin Dupré's 1795 grouping, recycled across French coinage for nearly two centuries. Auguste Roty's late nineteenth-century adaptation is what appears here.