Since 2020,
Monnaie de Paris has been retracing the History of American Independence through
a collection of coins. The designs of the coins are directly inspired by
historical products issued by Monnaie de Paris: antique medals from our
archives. This sub-theme is part of the Great Dates of Humanity theme, which
began in 2019 with the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the First Step on the Moon and
D-Day.
In 2020,
Monnaie de Paris launched the ‘History of American Independence’ series with
the arrival of La Fayette in Boston. Washington Before Boston followed in 2021,
the Great Seal of the USA in 2022, Libertas Americana medal in 2023, and the
Battle of Cowpens in 2024.
This year,
the Benjamin Franklin and the Winged Genius medal is in the spotlight. Benjamin
Franklin was an American polymath, known for his contributions as an inventor,
scientist and diplomat. As a Founding Father, he was notably involved in
drafting the United States Declaration of Independence.
The
Benjamin Franklin Winged Genius medal was produced in 1784 by Augustin Dupré,
general engraver of the French mint from 1791. It was not the result of a royal
commission, but Dupré's spontaneous tribute to Benjamin Franklin, whom he
admired as much for his scientific work on electricity as for his diplomatic
role.
The reverse
features a winged Genius holding a lightning bolt in front of a temple with a
lightning rod, with at his feet a broken crown and sceptre - symbols of the triumph of science
and freedom. The Latin legend ‘Eripuit coelo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis’ (‘He
snatched the thunderbolt from the sky and the sceptre from the tyrants’),
inspired by Turgot and popularised in France from 1778 onwards, underlines
Franklin's dual scientific and political dimension.
A second
version of this medal was produced in 1786, with a more sober reverse within an
oak wreath around the same legend. This simpler version was more widely
distributed. The first, more artistic version remained intimate and rare.
