France is honoring one of its favorite past presidents with a circulating commemorative €2 coin in 2020. 

On Jan. 31, the French Mint will issue a coin to commemorate Charles de Gaulle. 

The obverse of the coin shows two images of de Gaulle. The image in the background shows the man as military leader, wearing his army general’s uniform, recalling the famous episode of the June 18, 1940, call to arms during the liberation of Paris. The other image represents his second term as French president.

The RF initials (for Republic of France) are formed into a Lorraine cross, the symbol of a Free France in 1940, as chosen by de Gaulle.

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and is 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation may issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.

The de Gaulle coin has a mintage of 18,061,940 pieces for circulation. An additional 11,000 examples are slated for special sets.

Visit the Monnaie de Paris website. 

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