The Charlie Chaplin 500 Francs was issued under France's commemorative coinage program during a period when the Monnaie de Paris was aggressively expanding its large-format collector series. Chaplin himself had a complicated relationship with France — he settled in Switzerland after being barred from re-entering the United States in 1952 following years of FBI surveillance and accusations of Communist sympathies, and never held French citizenship. The choice of subject is cultural rather than biographical.
The large module designation distinguishes this from the smaller 100 Francs Chaplin issue struck concurrently, both sharing the Beaver design by sculptor Joaquin Jimenez. At 155.52 grams this sits in the five-ounce category, struck across the 1994 and 1995 dates with the later date considerably scarcer by mintage.
The Charlie Chaplin 500 Francs was issued under France's commemorative coinage program during a period when the Monnaie de Paris was aggressively expanding its large-format collector series. Chaplin himself had a complicated relationship with France — he settled in Switzerland after being barred from re-entering the United States in 1952 following years of FBI surveillance and accusations of Communist sympathies, and never held French citizenship. The choice of subject is cultural rather than biographical.
The large module designation distinguishes this from the smaller 100 Francs Chaplin issue struck concurrently, both sharing the Beaver design by sculptor Joaquin Jimenez. At 155.52 grams this sits in the five-ounce category, struck across the 1994 and 1995 dates with the later date considerably scarcer by mintage.