Post Your Coins And Medals Connected To The French Revolution

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1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 09:41 am Today, July 14 2019, seems a good day to open a new a thread for posting coins and medals connected to the French Revolution. Today is the French National Day. France celebrates the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. It is a symbolic day connected to freedom of thought and speech, freedom of religion and equal rights for all humans alike. This revolution, which curiously ended 10 years later with Emperor Napoleon (the personification of centralized power) nevertheless changed human civilization profoundly. Old privileges of the nobility and the higher clergy were gradually replaced by principles that paved the way for modern democracies. It seems the right moment to start a thread with the aim to group coins and medals of CCF members that remind to events of one of the most important revolutions of our history. To kick off, here is a first example of a revolutionary coin 1793, constitution, two sols à la table de loi (also called two sols à la balance) from the mint of Metz (AA) Obverse: tablet symbolic for the consitution LES / HOMMES / SONT / EGAUX / DEVANT / LA LOI. / Dupre under radiating eye and flanked by grapes and ears of wheat below L'AN II legend: REPUBLIQUE FRANCOISE Reverse: Phrygian cap (or liberty hat) on the balance of justice, in center 2 S, surrounded by wreath of oak leaves below: 1793 flanked by mintmasters signs Legend LIBERTE' E'GALITE' reference: Br.16 - R.74/2 the design is of Augustin Dupre (1748-1833), the 14th Graveur general des monnaies of France and the genius behind the great coins of the French revolution. in this coin, both the Phrygian cap (or liberty hat) and Civic Crown (Latin: corona civica) refer to symbols of freedom and honor given to common people of the Roman empire an interesting detail is that the bronze of the heavy (± 23 grammes) copper piece originated from confiscated old bells of the churches. Report this Post to the Staff

erafjel Pillar of the Community Sweden 2124 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 2:39 pm An excellent idea, and a very good choice of coin to start with. The inscription All men are equal before the law in a way summarizes what the revolution was about. The coin I show below is from 1791 and belongs to the first set that has a new design after the revolution; up until then, the coins from the absolute monarchy had continued to be minted. The inscription Roi des François has replaced the old Dei Gratia Franciae Rex - King of the French instead of King of France by grace of God - signifying that the king sits on the mandate of the people, not God. Also, the text is in French, not Latin. On the reverse is stated La Nation La Loi Le Roi - The Nation, The Law, The King - in that order. Like the law table coin, it is made of bronze from melted church bells - a way for the revolutionaries to literally make money from church property. The dating L'an 3 de la liberte - Year 3 of freedom - refers to the time passed since the revolution 1789, which is thus 1791. The law table coin from 1793 is from year 2 in the revolutionary calendar, which begins with year 1 on Sept 22nd 1792. 2 sols 1791, Paris (A) Obverse: A life like portrait of the king. Reverse: A fasces with a phrygian cap, surrounded by oak leaves. The fasces symbolizes unity and strength as well as the law; the phrygian cap shows that the law is now under the control of the people. Edited by erafjel 07/14/2019 7:05 pm Report this Post to the Staff
1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 3:02 pm @erafjel: great choice to post ! very nice coin, sharp in detail and great copper tone the 2 sols you posted is from the first phase of the revolution called constitutional monarchy (14th July 1789 when a twelve-member Constitutional Committee was convened till 21 January 1793 when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine in Paris) During this first period, the portrait of king Louis XVI is still present on the coins like in the old days of the monarchy. Quote: The dating L'an 3 de la liberte - Year 3 of freedom - refers to the time passed since the revolution 1789, which is thus 1791. The law table coin from 1793 is from year 2 in the revolutionary calendar, which begins with year 1 on Sept 22nd 1792. very helpful explanation ! I get confused all the time by the revolutionary calendar of 1793, as normal names of the months were replaced by revolutionary names. Moreover, this calendar had 10-day weeks that made it very difficult for Catholics to remember Sundays and saints' days. Edited by 1c5d7n5m 07/14/2019 3:09 pm Report this Post to the Staff
1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 3:31 pm below is a 1 sol "a la table de loi" minted in Strasbourg (BB) a major early achievement of the Revolution was The Declaration of the Rights of Man, adopted on 26 August 1789 Interesting in itself are issues related to the influence of the American Revolution on the French Revolution and the French help to realize the American struggle for independence of England. The Declaration was drafted by the Abbe Sieyès and the Marquis de Lafayette, in consultation with a certain Thomas Jefferson from the United States of America Edited by 1c5d7n5m 07/14/2019 3:43 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Dorado Bedrock of the Community Canada 24885 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 4:24 pm Very interesting! Report this Post to the Staff
1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/14/2019 5:22 pm as 14 Juillet will close within an hour in Paris & surroundings, I take the liberty to post another 1 sol à la table de loi, this one is from the mint of Dijon (D) the inscription on the table LES / HOMMES / SONT / EGAUX / DEVANT / LA LOI is quite visible, which is important for the quality of this type of coins interestingly, this statement is similar to the first of the 19 articles of the declaration « Les hommes naissent et demeurent libres et egaux en droits » (all men are free and equal before the law) website (in French) https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%...oyen_de_1789 Report this Post to the Staff
erafjel Pillar of the Community Sweden 2124 Posts	Posted 07/15/2019 06:33 am One can follow the developments during the French revolutionary years by studying the large silver coins minted and how their motives and inscriptions change. Four different types of coins in this category were minted. 1 ecu 1790, Paris (A), 917/1000 silver, 29.3 g Obverse: Portrait of the king, made 16 years earlier. Inscription: LUDovicus XVI Dei Gratia FRanciae ET NAVarrae REX (Louis XVI, by Grace of God King of France and Navarre). Reverse: French royal arms surrounded by olive branches. Inscription: SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTUM (Blessed be the Name of the Lord). Edge inscription: DOMINE SALVUM FAC REGEM (Lord save the King). Constitutional monarchy (1789-92). King Louis XVI remains on the throne, but no longer with the absolute power he had under the old regime. The coins from the old regime are still minted though, with the old portrait and same text stating the king to have his position by the grace of God. ************************************************************************* 1 ecu 1792, Paris (A), 917/1000 silver, 29.2 g Obverse: Portrait of the king, as he looks at the time. Inscription: LOUIS XVI ROI DES FRANÇOIS (Louis XVI, King of the French) Reverse: The genius/spirit of France writing CONSTITUTION on a tablet, surrounded by the fasces with a phrygian cap and the French rooster. Inscription: REGNE DE LA LOI (Rule of the Law) / L'AN 4 DE LA LIBERTe (Year 4 of Freedom). Edge inscription: LA NATION LA LOI ET LE ROI (The Nation the Law and the King) Still in the constitutional monarchy, and now the coins start to reflect the new regime. The king's portrait is still there (updated to current looks), but he is now king of the French, which should be read as that he sits on the mandate of the people, not of God. The reverse spells it out even more, pointing out that it is now the law that rules (not the king), and there is a constitution, and there has been 4 years of freedom. The monetary livre-sol-denier system remains, with the ecus valued at 6 livres. *********************************************************************** 6 livres an 2/1793*, Paris (A), 917/1000 silver, 29.3 g Obverse: The genius/spirit of France writing CONSTITUTION on a tablet, surrounded by the fasces with a phrygian cap and the French rooster. Inscription: REGNE DE LA LOI (Rule of the Law). Reverse: SIX LIVRES, surrounded by oak branches. Inscription: REPUBLIQUE FRANÇOISE / L'AN II. Edge inscription: LIBERTE EGALITE (Freedom Equality). The republic is proclaimed in September 1792, the king is executed in January 1793. The first phase of the republic, the Convention, lasts 1792-95. The start of the convention, Sept 22nd 1792, is also the start of the revolutionary calendar and the year (an) according to that will be used until year 14 (1805-06), when Napoleon reverts to the old calendar. During part of year 2, the year 1793 is also shown on coins. The old monetary system remains, but the coins now carry their denomination - 6 livres in this case. The phrase Liberte egalite* also starts to appear on coins, here on the edge. ************************************************************************* 5 francs an 6 (1797-98)*, Perpignan (Q), 900/1000 silver, 24.8 g Obverse: Hercules, with Republic and Justice standing beside. Inscription: UNION ET FORCE (Unity and Strength). Reverse: 5 FRANCS / L'AN 6, surrounded by oak and laurel branches. Inscription: RePUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. Edge inscription: GARANTIE NATIONALE (National Guarantee). The second phase of the republic is the Directorate, replacing the bloody regime under Robespierre and lasting 1795-99. The new monetary system with francs replacing livres is introduced 1795. 1 franc = 1 livre 1 sol 3 deniers, so 5 francs is a little less than 6 livres and the 5 francs coin is consequently smaller than the 6 livres coin. It is the only silver coin and the only coin larger than 20 centimes until 1803. The edge inscription refers to that the value of the coin is backed by the state. Garantie nationale* is a recurring statement during the French revolutionary years when it comes to expressing government supported monetary values (alas, generally unsuccessful). The motives with the genius of France and Hercules are the results of competitions. The genius motive is used on coins of various denominations until 1914, the Hercules motive shows up now and then until 1980 (and even later on euro commemorative coins)! Report this Post to the Staff
tdziemia Pillar of the Community United States 7933 Posts	Posted 07/15/2019 06:40 am A great idea! Alas, this is an area where I have nothing to contribute, but have been enjoying from the sidelines Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187501 Posts	Posted 07/15/2019 12:31 pm Excellent topic and nice examples so far! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/15/2019 5:57 pm those are outstanding large silver pieces erafjel ! very impressive coins: of high quality and some being rare the gradual change from "like in the old days" with symbols from the monarchy to completely new symbols, ideas and units is well illustrated a tread in a tread, one could say, very interesting to read. I want to come back to the new idea's and symbols by posting a Monneron, but this topic first needs a little introduction: One of the major underlying causes of the French revolution was the bankruptcy of the French treasury in 1787 ; Louis XVI and his able minister of finances Jacques Necker searched for solutions and therefore called together in the spring of 1789 a general assembly of the estates* in order to discuss tax issues. This was a typical thing to do for the monarchy when there was a real and deep national crisis. The main story of the revolution is that on that very meeting in Paris the third estate (representatives from all over the country who were not members of the nobility or higher clergy) found itself without any influence and protested against paying taxes without any rights; they demanded more influence and the revolution had begun. But we need to go into a side story: one of the solutions for the lack of money of the French state: print paper ! lots of paper ! and the debts would be soon forgotten. So in 1789 fiat currency was invented (again): the assignats: pieces of paper backed confidence that the state would pay back the owner in silver or gold any time. One of the reasons that confidence was initially strong was that the state had confiscated the richness of the French catholic churches; but the face value of the assignats turned out to be much higher than all confiscated lands, silver and gold. As happens with any fiat currency: as long as confidence in the system was strong, the assignats worked quite well, but lack of confidence led to rapid erosion of the value, and after 1796 the assignats were outdated and worthless. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assignat for further reading Below a surviving example of a 400 livre (!) assignat from 1792, item from the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Here come the Monneron Brothers, who where French bankers and entrepreneurs. They realized that there was an unique business opportunity because in Paris there was an urgent lack of real money (copper and silver were very scarce - are you going to pay for bread and cheese and wine with a 400 livre assignat?). So they contacted Matthew Boulton who worked with some very interesting persons in England (I may come back to that in another post) and the result was millions of high quality large copper pieces with denominations of 2 and 5 sols. Here is the earliest example from which a total of one million pieces were made in England: deux sols "a la liberte assisse" weight ±14 grammes Obverse: the important symbols of the revolution (already in 1791) liberte sitting, flanked by the hat of liberty and a French rooster and leaning on the la table de loi on which is written DROITS DE L'HOMME art. V below L'AN III DE LA LIBERTE legend: LIBERTE SOUS LA LOI Reverse: text explaining the Monnerons concept: a small denomination that could be exchanged for assignats MEDAIILLE DE CONFIANCE DE DEUX SOLS A ECHANGER CONTRE DES ASSIGNATS DE 50 L ET AU DESSUS 1791 legend: MONNERON FRERES NEGOCIANS A PARIS the Monneron business was a short lived succes and was followed by bankruptcy ; by 1793 the coins were not accepted any longer as legal money More reading: Philippe Bouchet (2010) Les Monnerons, Histoire d'un Monnayage, Editions Les Chevau-Legers, Paris: very nice & illustrated booklet Richard Margolis (1988) Matthew Boulton's French ventures of 1791 and 1792: tokens for the Monneron frères of Paris and Isle-de-France, see https://www.britnumsoc.org/publicat...NJ_58_11.pdf Edited by 1c5d7n5m 07/15/2019 6:02 pm Report this Post to the Staff
erafjel Pillar of the Community Sweden 2124 Posts	Posted 07/16/2019 10:08 am Thank you for your nice words, 1c5d7n5m! Since we are on necessity/confidence money (what is the proper English word for this?), here is my contribution. 5 sols 1792, Soho/Birmingham, copper, 28.3 g Obverse: Depicts a scene from the first Festival of the Federation held 14 July 1790. The National Guard swears loyalty to the Republic, represented by a female holding a tablet with the text CONSTITUTION DES FRANÇAIS. Before her is a pedestal with the king's portrait, at its foot crushed parchments reading DIME and PRIV[ILÈGES], referring to the church's tithe and the privileges of the nobility. The text PACTE FEDERATIF refers to unity of the revolutionary federations in the country. Inscription: VIVRE LIBRES OU MOURIR (Live free or die). Reverse: Inscription: MONNERON FRERES NEGOCIANS A PARIS (Monneron Brothers Merchants in Paris) / MEDAILLE DE CONFIANCE DE CINQ-SOLS REMBOURSABLE EN ASSIGNATS DE 50#. ET AU DESSUS (Medallion of Confidence of Five Sols Exchangeable for Assignats Valued 50 Livres and Above) / L'AN IV. DE LA LIBERTe (Year 4 of Freedom). Edge inscription: DEPARTEMENS DE PARIS. RHONE ET LOIRE. DU GARD. (states regions of validity). The Festival of the Federation was the precursor of the French Bastille Day, which is celebrated every 14 July to commemorate the storming of the Bastille 1789, which led to the revolution. Exchanging 50 livres of assignats into these medallions would give you about 5.7 kg (12.5 lbs) of copper to carry. I suppose that was an exercise performed not by ordinary people, but rather by merchants, employers, and others that had to pay smaller sums to customers, employees, etc. In September 1791, when the Monneron coins began to be minted, the assignats still maintained much of their nominal value (you had to pay 29 livres in assignats for a 24 livres gold coin). The idea of selling cheap to manufacture copper discs for a much higher value in assignats must have seemed attractive. In March 1792, when a 24 livres gold coin had to be paid with 44 livres in assignats, the business case had worsened. The British manufacturers and copper suppliers needed to be paid in gold and silver (they didn't take assignats as payment...). The Monneron brothers simply couldn't exchange their vast and growing stock of assignats into that, and bankruptcy followed. Report this Post to the Staff
1c5d7n5m Pillar of the Community Belgium 1185 Posts	Posted 07/16/2019 5:41 pm Nice and interesting piece erafjel, I will perhaps show an example of this type at a later moment as well, but first I like to show another 2 sols of 1791 with a nice dark brown lustre This 2 sols was the first Monneron type produced by Matthew Bolton in the Soho mint in Birmingham, a private corporation. In total 1 million pieces were struck in about 22 days (from mid November to mid December), using as raw metal about 17 tonnes of British copper. It needs to be emphasized these medals (made for profit by exchange into assignats which could be again exchanged for gold or silver) was a private initiative, not a regular coin made by the official mint of a ruler. That is why one should not ignore the small detail on the obverse of this first Monneron: the sentence on the "law table" What the Monnerons set into motion between November 1791 and August 1782 and would be strictly forbidden in any country with legal tender; but in Revolutionary France of 1791 there was no law prohibiting the manufacture of this type of money. The Monneron brothers wanted it to be understood that the new declaration of human rights was on their side. Report this Post to the Staff
erafjel Pillar of the Community Sweden 2124 Posts	Posted 07/16/2019 5:56 pm Very nice 2 sols piece indeed! And interesting point about the law table. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187501 Posts	Posted 07/16/2019 8:36 pm Looking good! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
erafjel Pillar of the Community Sweden 2124 Posts	Posted 07/17/2019 3:22 pm My theme for today is decimal currency. The revolution introduced decimal weight and length measures, as well as a decimal calendar (the revolutionary calendar with 10 day weeks, each day divided into 10 hours). Of course, the currency had to be decimalized too - the 1 livre = 20 sols = 240 deniers system of the old regime did not suit a revolutionary. The exact form for this was discussed at length, with many proposals. In 1793 it was decided to decimalize the livre by dividing it into 10 decimes and each decime into 10 centimes. In August 1795 the livre was replaced by the decimal franc, divided into 100 centimes (in the beginning also into 10 decimes, but this "extra" subdivision was soon abandoned). 5 decimes an 2 (1794), Paris (A), bronze, 24.5 g Obverse: The somewhat peculiar motive is from the memorial ceremony held 10 Aug 1793, one year after the storming of the Tuileries Palace. Inscription: ReGeNeRATION FRANÇAISE / 10 AOUT 1793 (French regeneration / 10 August 1793). Reverse: Branches of oak and laurel. Inscription: RePUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE / 5 DeCIMES / L'AN 2. The storming of the Tuileries Palace was what led to the fall of the monarchy. One year later, the "Festival of Unity and Indivisibility" was held with representatives from the government (the Convent) and the departments around France. It was held at the site of the torned down Bastille (where the revolution started 14 July 1789). A statue of the goddess Isis had been erected there, with water springing from her bust. The water is drunk under ceremonial forms, symbolising the national regeneration. The coin shown here is the first decimal coin, valued at 5 decimes = 0.5 livres. It is the only coin minted in the decimal livre system. It is also the first French commemorative coin. ************************************************************************************************************************* 5 centimes an 4 (1795-96)**, small module, Paris (A), copper, 5.0 g Obverse: Marianne. Inscription: RePUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE. Reverse: Inscription: 5 CENTIMES / L'AN 4. The first coin minted in the decimal franc system was the 5 centimes denomination (minting began in September 1795). A simple design, but for the first time does Marianne, the well known symbol for the French republic, appear on a coin. Soon to follow were the denominations 5 francs, 2 decimes, and 1 decime. A 5 centimes coin twice as large and with a more elaborate design (10 g, big module) replaced the small module coin shown here after a year. The denominations 1 franc and 2 francs were not minted until 1803 due to lack of silver for minting. One may note that the pre-decimal coins were still valid for many years. The six livres coin (replaced by the 5 francs coin) was demonetized 1829. The pre-revolutionary liard (valued at 3 deniers) could be used until 1856, with a value of 2 centimes. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 187501 Posts	Posted 07/17/2019 4:31 pm Very nice! Coin Collector Since 1978 Avatar Old Avatar 7070 Eisenhower Australia Canada World CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
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