Euro parité Europa, argent

Issued by the Monnaie de Paris to mark the January 1, 1999 launch of the euro as an accounting currency — three years before euro coins and banknotes entered circulation. France was among the original eleven eurozone members, and the franc-to-euro conversion rate was fixed that day at exactly 6.55957 francs per euro, a figure precise enough to have required years of bilateral negotiation within the European Monetary System.