La Monnaie de Paris and DS Auto mobiles are joining forces in a unique partnership to celebrate the 70th anniversary of an automotive icon, the DS.
To mark this anniversary, an exceptional 10 EUROS silver coin has been created, depicting a 1955 DS 19 mirrored with a 1975 DS 23. The gold colouring used to set the scene cleverly reveals the beam of the headlights and illuminates the face of the coin in an unprecedented way.
This exceptional coin will be the starting point for a collection that will grow throughout the year.
The DS, a true icon of the 20th century
When it was unveiled on Thursday 6th October 1955 under the majestic vault of the Grand Palais at the Paris Motor Show, the DS immediately became a phenomenon. Designed by Flaminio Bertoni, a talented stylist, sculptor and painter assisted by a team of draughtsmen, the DS was as revolutionary as it was elegant, with its avant-garde lines and innovations. But it was also its technology that won it over, thanks to the talent of two men. The first, André Lefèbvre, an aeronautical engineer by training, was a fervent advocate of front-wheel drive, aerodynamics, lightness and mass centring. The second, Paul Magès, a self-taught engineer, was the creator of hydraulics. He invented the famous hydropneumatic suspension, as well as hydraulic assistance for steering, clutch release and braking in the DS.
A revolutionary car, the DS quickly became a benchmark in the automotive world, and was driven by several Presidents of the French Republic. For twenty years, almost 1.5 million cars were produced in the heart of Paris. Almost four decades after production ceased - on 1st June 2014 - the two letters of this legendary car were reborn with the creation of the DS Automobiles brand. The heritage of the DS is now anchored in the timeless DNA of the Brand, which draws inspiration from it to design models that embody the art of French travel. So the story continues!
To mark the 70th anniversary of its ancestor, Monnaie de Paris has teamed up with DS Automobiles to issue a series of collector coins to celebrate this 20th century automotive icon!
This first commemorative 10 EUROS silver denomination features a DS 23 produced in 1975, whose pivoting headlights, another innovation of this legendary car, illuminate the face of the coin. The light is highlighted by a clever gold colouring for a striking contrast. Underneath, like a reflection, is the original 1955 DS. The two versions symbolise the stylistic evolution of the DS. On the text side, we find the name ‘DS’ and the year of the first model ‘1955’ accompanied by the words ‘RF’ République Française, as well as the coin's year ‘2025’. This collector coin is presented in a cardlet that takes a pictorial look back at the DS saga.
On the reverse, the coin's face value is surrounded by a branch of oak and a branch of laurel. The whole, evoking the Euro symbol, is surrounded by an assembly of lines representing the Hexagon.
In addition to this superb 10 EUROS coin, the collection will be enriched with new denominations over the course of the year. The programme includes two solid silver coins, a fine gold coin for demanding collectors and a special DS miniset.
