France 2019: 60th anniversary of comic Asterix

[eurocoin]

Next year France will issue a 2 euro commemorative for the 60th anniversary of the comic book Asterix.

[chrisild]

Interesting, thanks! Hmm, on one hand I used to be (and to some extent still am) a big Asterix fan, so I may well get me that coin. Then again the Monnaie de Paris already issued a whole bunch of Asterix collector coins. There were seven in 2007, three more in 2013 ... and twenty-six! (or even 27 if you include the €500 gold piece) in 2015. Gaulish overkill?

Christian

[eurocoin]

I have never liked the Asterix books, I consider them to be  something of another era that has ended long ago. I do consider the theme relevant enough for commemoration on a coin though and look forward to finding it in circulation. The theme and the less relevant amount of years that are being commemorated of course fit in the ongoing commercialisation of mints, all of which are very afraid of the nearing cashless society.

[Bimat]

Not really much excited to see the design...I have some of those collector €10 Asterix coins (which I won on eBay for €9 each or so) when they were issued and I don't particularly like them; they are just OK...

Also trying to imagine how the colored BU and proof version of it would look like...

Aditya

[Figleaf]

I've read every Asterix comic book plus the whole "Petit Nicolas" series of the same authors plus most, if not all of the movies and TV series. Petit Nicolas describes French schools in the 1950s, but Asterix is timeless. It's of course not a history book or a social criticism with footnotes. And yet ... on the child level, the drawings are educational. The ships are drawn better than a number of ships on coins. The social criticism is there, from the xenophobia of "ils sont fous, ces Romain" to the traffic jam on the Spanish border and from the ever erupting quarrelling between Asterix and Obelix to drugs use during the Olympics.

Add it all up, throw in the influence on the French language (link in French) comparable only to Maître Pierre Pathelin and it still doesn't add up to a subject worthy of a commemorative coin, let alone a series. O tempora, o mores.

Peter

[chrisild]

The "Asterix" €2 commem will be issued on 28 April. Have not seen the design yet. And yes, there will be several collector coins too, but those come on 1 October ...

Christian

[eurocoin]

According to a widespread rumour, because of a great mistake of a mint employee who forgot to shedule the production of the Asterix coin, it is said that the coin will not be released in circulation. It will according to this rumour only be released in BU and Proof.

[chrisild]

And here we have another commemorative €2 coin (note the term "at face value" in this overview) that I will gladly ignore and not buy. Sure, of course I do not mind paying a little more, especially when dealers are involved who somehow need to make a living. But to issue such coins in surcharged versions only ... nah, that is something I do not plan to support.

Christian

[redlock]

According to a widespread rumour, because of a great mistake of a mint employee who forgot to shedule the production of the Asterix coin, it is said that the coin will not be released in circulation. It will according to this rumour only be released in BU and Proof.

In other words, the Monnaie de Paris is not able -- or is not allowed? -- to mint this particular €2 coin for circulation purposes?

Either the Mint needs to upgrade its facilities or this is utter bureaucratic nonsense. 

[eurocoin]

Well, I don't quite understand that part either although I can understand the mint may work with tight shedules and the production of 10 million coins (which was going to be the mintage of the coin) isn't done within a few hours. There has now been a reputable dealer who has confirmed there will not be minted any coins for circulation. These are the kind of themes that can spark a coinhunt leading to new (younger) people to start collecting so I am sure Monnaie de Paris isn't happy about this either.

[chrisild]

Sorry, but that rumor sounds silly to me. The basic decision to issue that piece has obviously been made, and of course the Monnaie de Paris would be able to produce a few million pieces within the next eleven months. So it is the mint's or government's decision to not do that.

Christian

[Bimat]

Here it is...

The coin cards will be issued with three themes: Asterix, Idefix and Obelix. 100,000 coin cards of each theme (the coin design remains the same, just the difference in packaging) will be issued.

Aditya

[chrisild]

So MMXIX had to be "translated" while LX is fine as it is? The design is OK in my opinion, with the head of Asterix only. But a coin-card-only issue ... nah, I'll pass.

Christian