The obverse of the coin depicts the famous French writer Jean de La Fontaine (1621 - 1695), who is best known for his "Fables" which feature many animals as story characters. On the right, the silhouettes of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac: snake, tiger, monkey, dog, horse, goat, dragon, ox, mouse, rooster, pig, and rabbit.
Around above left, the inscription Fables de la Fontaine.
Above the animals, the face value 50 EURO. In the exergue, the date of issue 2012.
To the left of the date, the Cornucopia privy mark of the Paris Mint. On the right, the personal privy mark of the Chief Engraver of the mint Yves Sampo - a pentagon rosette with stylised letters ag mp ys, for "Atelier de Gravure", "Monnaie de Paris" and "Yves Sampo". |