500 Euros The sower and Lady Liberty

The Semeuse — the striding sower figure introduced by Louis-Oscar Roty on French coinage in 1897 — became one of the most enduring coin designs in modern European history, surviving the transition from franc to euro and appearing on French euro cents to this day. This 2024 Monnaie de Paris piece pairs her with Marianne, the allegorical embodiment of the French Republic, in a deliberate act of numismatic continuity.

At 155.50 grams of .999 gold, this is a five-troy-ounce bullion issue — a format the Monnaie de Paris has used for flagship annual releases. Roty's original 1897 Semeuse was itself considered controversial at introduction, critics finding the figure too rustic for a national emblem.