Information about mint: Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint)
The Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint), created in 864, is the oldest French institution. Administratively speaking, the "Direction of Coins and Medals" - the national mint - is an administration of the French government charged with issuing coins as well as producing medals and other similar items. Many ancient coins are housed in the collections maintained there. Though in the Middle Ages there were numerous other mints in provincial cities officially issuing legitimate French coinage struck in the name of the ruler. For several centuries, the number of royal workshops varied. Some were repeatedly closed and reopened due to financial crises, while the needs of the king (financing wars, etc) and new territories annexed by the crown also caused frequent fluctuations in how many were active at any one time. During all this time, the Monnaie de Paris was always the prime issuer. At the end of 1689 there were 22 mints in total, yet barely two years later this number had risen to 27. While they existed as branch mints, the separate mints (some in occupied territory now in other countries) had the following mint marks: Paris (A or no mint mark), 1795 - present French money was also minted in London, UK (R) in 1815 (before the Restoration), Bruxelles / Brussels, Belgium (mint mark B. in 1874, B in a circle in 1939), and in the Philadelphia Mint, USA in 1944 due to the German occupation of France at the time. The mint traditionally also puts privy marks on its coins, one for the mint master (or equivalent title) and one for the chief engraver: At different times, the Paris Mint was governed by the following people: (with the title of Cussorum Moneta): (with the title of Président de la Cour des Monnaies): (with the title of Directeur de fabrication de la Monnaie): (with the title of Directeur des monnaies et médailles): (with the title of Président-Directeur général de la Monnaie): The position of Engraver General of Currency was created in 1547, at a time when there were mints scattered all over France. Back in those days the Engraver General used to cut the original punches, which were then sent out to all the different mints. Since 2000, the title is "Responsable de l'Atelier de Gravure" - Head of the Engraving workshop. Chief engravers and their privy marks: Separately, the branch mints had their own mint masters with their own personal symbols, like (non-exhaustive list): Bayonne Bordeaux Lille Limoges Lyon Marseille Nantes Orléans Rouen Strasbourg The Mint employs a Cornucopia ('Horn of Plenty") mark on coins struck at its main (and for quite a while - only) facility - Paris until 1973, then Pessac. The symbol was first used in 1880 as a privy mark of the Director of the Mint, in conjunction with the mint mark and other privy marks: e.g., a coin would have a letter A for mint mark, plus a Cornucopia for the (current) Director of the Mint, plus fasces or torch for the (current) Chief Engraver of the Mint. It was used in this fashion from 1880 until 1898, and then again in 1901. Normally, it would have been expected that a new symbol would be put in its place after a change of directors, but this did not happen. The symbol continued to be used on coins struck for other countries from 1901 onward, and re-appeared on French coins in 1960. It can (probably) be considered a mint mark now. |
| Country | Currency | Coin Type | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Twenty Lepta | 1900 | 1900 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Ten Lepta | 1900 | 1900 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Five Lepta | 1900 | 1900 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Two Lepta | 1900 | 1901 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | One Lepton | 1900 | 1901 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Five Drachmai | 1901 | 1901 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Two Drachmai | 1901 | 1901 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | One Drachma | 1901 | 1901 |
| Cretan State | Cretan Drachma | Fifty Lepta | 1901 | 1901 |
| France | Euro, France | Gold Five Ounces (5 oz) | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Gold Ounce (1 oz) | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Gold Quarter Ounce (1/4 oz) | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Silver Ounce (1 oz) | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Twenty Grams Silver | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Quarter Euro | 2010 | present |
| France | Euro, France | Gold Half Gram (0.5 g) | 2022 | present |
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| From Year | 864 |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Location | Pessac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Company type | Mint |
| Web | (official site) |
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| Cornucopia | Initially a privy mark of the Director of the Mint, the Cornucopia has been used as a mint mark since 1960. |
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| Letter A | The usual mint mark for the Paris Mint was the letter A. It was also combined with privy marks for the Director of the Mint and the Chief Engraver. |
| No mint mark | On some coins, the Paris Mint has no mint mark. |