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CC 469 2022
Coincard
BU
Coincard – Issue 5
France · Genius and Discus Throwing - Arc de Triomphe (Series: Summer Olympic Games, Paris 2024 - 2/4)
Mintage50,000
Issue date22 Sept 2022
PackagingCoincard
Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted
Market price€15.90
Mintage information from source: 5 x 50.000
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, held there again one hundred years after the 1924 Games. The design depicts the “Genius”, a national figure and icon of French numismatics, performing the ancient discus throw; his silhouette merges with the Arc de Triomphe as a symbol of victory. In the background, an athletics track runs across the design, incorporating the logo of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The design
One hundred years after the 1924 Olympic Games, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games will once again take place in France (Paris). The event has international significance and is increasingly coming into focus in the years leading up to it.
Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint) is using the countdown to the opening ceremony as an opportunity to celebrate the journey towards the Games. A 2-euro commemorative coin is to be issued in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, with the national side addressing the Games through French and Parisian cultural heritage.
This coin depicts the “Genius”, a national figure and icon of French numismatics. In reference to the Olympic Games of antiquity, the figure is practising discus throwing in an “ancient” manner. The silhouette merges with that of the triumphal arch, an important element of Parisian cultural heritage. The figure and this symbol of victory form a common axis. In the background, an athletics track runs around the inner part of the coin, with the logo of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris inserted on the right. The year of issue, the letters “RF” and the mint marks are located below the inner arch and at the foot of the triumphal arch.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint) is using the countdown to the opening ceremony as an opportunity to celebrate the journey towards the Games. A 2-euro commemorative coin is to be issued in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, with the national side addressing the Games through French and Parisian cultural heritage.
This coin depicts the “Genius”, a national figure and icon of French numismatics. In reference to the Olympic Games of antiquity, the figure is practising discus throwing in an “ancient” manner. The silhouette merges with that of the triumphal arch, an important element of Parisian cultural heritage. The figure and this symbol of victory form a common axis. In the background, an athletics track runs around the inner part of the coin, with the logo of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris inserted on the right. The year of issue, the letters “RF” and the mint marks are located below the inner arch and at the foot of the triumphal arch.
The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.
Background on the topic
The “Genius” is not a historical person, but an allegorical figure. In French coin art, it can be traced back to the medallist Augustin Dupré, who designed a winged genius during the French Revolution. This figure wrote on a tablet and embodied the constitution and the republican order. From the late 18th century onward, the motif appeared in various versions on French coins, including gold coins and later franc pieces. As a result, the genius became a recurring visual figure in French coinage. For the commemorative coin, this tradition was reinterpreted in a sporting context.
The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Napoleon commissioned it in 1806 following the victory at Austerlitz; the structure was not completed until 1836. Its reliefs and inscriptions commemorate campaigns and members of the French armies. Since 1920, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been located beneath the arch, with an eternal flame burning there. The triumphal arch is therefore not only a widely recognizable Parisian landmark, but also a place of national remembrance and ceremonies.
The modern Olympic Games arose largely on the initiative of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Following the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894, the first Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896. Paris had already hosted the Games in 1900. The 1924 Games took place during a period in which many Olympic forms familiar today were becoming established. These included a specially created accommodation area for the athletes, a precursor to the Olympic Village.
The issue was part of a three-year coin series for 2022, 2023 and 2024. In this way, the Monnaie de Paris accompanied not only the actual year of the event, but also its preparation. The combination of a traditional French coin figure with a Parisian place of remembrance situated the international sporting event within France’s national, urban and numismatic visual language.
The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Napoleon commissioned it in 1806 following the victory at Austerlitz; the structure was not completed until 1836. Its reliefs and inscriptions commemorate campaigns and members of the French armies. Since 1920, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been located beneath the arch, with an eternal flame burning there. The triumphal arch is therefore not only a widely recognizable Parisian landmark, but also a place of national remembrance and ceremonies.
The modern Olympic Games arose largely on the initiative of the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Following the founding of the International Olympic Committee in 1894, the first Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896. Paris had already hosted the Games in 1900. The 1924 Games took place during a period in which many Olympic forms familiar today were becoming established. These included a specially created accommodation area for the athletes, a precursor to the Olympic Village.
The issue was part of a three-year coin series for 2022, 2023 and 2024. In this way, the Monnaie de Paris accompanied not only the actual year of the event, but also its preparation. The combination of a traditional French coin figure with a Parisian place of remembrance situated the international sporting event within France’s national, urban and numismatic visual language.