A "flyweight" coin from France

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The French mint is apparently experimenting with new issues. This year the Monnaie de Paris plans to issue a 0.5g gold coin (right, 500 milligrams), as part of  some international Small Gold Coins program. According to the mint, "even modest revenues can afford to purchase a gold collectors' coin."

But of course they will also do something at the other end, so to say. There will be a 10 oz silver piece, and the "usual" 1 kilo gold coin will this year come with inserted diamonds ...

Christian

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Are they going to issue more gold and silver coins at face value, like in 2009 and 2008? I seem to rememberr that programme would be running for three years..

Peter

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Right, the third and last part of that series is going to be issued this year: "La gamme des 'Euros Or en Argent' parachève sa déclinaison avec les deux dernières coupures: 50 € en argent et 500 €." And from the WMF catalog: "We are also completing the Gold and Silver Euros for the general public, with the two last coins in 2010 (50 silver and 500 gold), before launching a new initiative on this specific market."

In the initial post I did not want to list all issues planned for this year; that would have taken too long. So I only mentioned the "oddball" pieces. As for the others, I already mentioned the one that commemorates the Nouveau Franc (created 50 years ago) in another topic. An issue that I am looking forward to is the piece (or the pieces) dedicated to the 1100th anniversary of Cluny Abbey, founded in 910 ...

Christian

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Is there anything on issue dates and methods of these pieces?

Peter

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Not yet, it seems. I moved the other messages, regarding the "Euros Or en Argent", over to that topic:
http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,1349.0.html

As for the "flyweight" piece, that will be part of the Cluny set. A €5 gold coin, 1/2 g, 11 mm, max 20,000 pieces.

Christian

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This is what the coin will look like - well, an image of the design of its €10 silver sibling. The theme will be commemorated on five coins with the same design but different denominations): €10 silver (22.2 g), €5 gold (0.5 g - the minipiece), €50 gold (1/4 oz), €200 gold (1 oz) and €1000 gold (10 oz). As usual with most French collector coins, the price will not be based on the face value or the intrinsic value. The design does not feature Cluny Abbey as it looked like when it was founded, nor what the buildings look like today (not much of the church is left) but "Cluny III", the abbey as it looked like when it was the largest building in Europe and a very influential monastery both in a spiritual and architectural sense.

Christian