About Monnaie de Paris

Presentation of the institution

Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) is the oldest of French institutions and one of the oldest enterprises in the world. Its duty is the public service of minting current euros for France and the production of foreign currencies. The first factory established in Paris is currently the last in activity.

The Pessac factory (Gironde) has been manufacturing these coins since 1973 from the cutting out of the blanks to the final conditioning. Monnaie de Paris mints approximately one billion coins every year in its Pessac factory, half of which is intended for export.

Monnaie de Paris also has an activity of manufacturing collective currencies in gold or in silver, the programmes of which are approved every year by the government. It is the historical manufacturing site of official and grand order decorations such as the Légion d’honneur and the National Order of Merit. It is the last art foundry in Paris, perpetuating a tradition and know-how transmitted over centuries by our craftsmen.