To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Monnaie de Paris is minting a collection paying tribute to the soldiers of the four major Allied nations. Through four singular destinies, French commandos, British airborne troops and America...
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Monnaie de Paris is minting a collection paying tribute to the soldiers of the four major Allied nations. Through four singular destinies, French commandos, British airborne troops and American and Canadian infantrymen are honored in this historic collection.
Léon, Second-Maitre (Petty Officer) of the Commando Kieffer, was one of the 177 Frenchmen who took part in the Normandy landings on the beach known as "Sword Beach", alongside British forces as part of Commando N°4. Here he poses in front of one of the Ouistreham bunkers, with his comrades in the background holding the flag of the Free French Naval Forces.
After landing, the French commandos seized an artillery piece, then the Riva-Bella Casino, before heading inland via Colleville and Saint-Aubin-d'Arquenay to join up at Pegasus Bridge with British troops of the 6th Airborne Division. They then reached Amfreville, occupying the edge of the Plain. By the evening of June 6, they had lost almost 25% of their strength. In addition to the wounded, including Lieutenant-Commander Kieffer, two officers and eight men were killed.
The reverse of these coins depicts a spiral of all the Allied nations that took part in the landings, whether on land, sea or in the air. The stars under the flags are also a tribute to the Liberty Road, the milestones marking the route taken by the 3rd American Army to liberate France, as far as Luxembourg.
Our craftman
THE ENGRAVER
Trained at the best schools, they have the years of experience behind them necessary to master all aspects of the craft. Using industrial oil-based modelling clay and working from a design executed freehand or with CAD software, they skilfully fashion a low relief model in order to enhance the engraving and the way it catches the light. They work alternately with concave and convex plaster moulds until satisfied they have achieved the best 3D rendering of the design.
THE MINTER
The first minters began to ply their trade in France when striking with a hammer appeared in the 4th century BC. Nowdays, minsters use press instead of a hammer. Their knowledge of dies, engraving and metals, and their expertise - passed seamlessly down from one generation to the next for centuries - guarantees the excellence of their work.
