During the Vth century B.C., the Celts, who lived in what will be later called Gaul, are not yet using coins. The first Celtic coins are copies of gold staters of Philip II of Macedonia (359 - 336 B.C.), which were introduced in Gaul by Celtic mercenaries at his service.

From the middle of the Ist century B.C. until the Vth century, the Gauls are under the domination of the Romans, and progressively adopt their monetary system. Money is not only a trading tool and payment mode for taxes; it also becomes an instrument of propaganda for the emperor.

The first Carolingian king, Pepin the Short (751-768), grants himself the monopoly of coining money. Pursuing his father’s reforms, Charlemagne (768-814) lets go of the monetary system, which was built on the gold “sou” coin. He establishes a new standard, the “livre” (pound) (weight unit which derives the monetary unit), which is worth the equivalent of 20 sous or 240 deniers.

Hughes Capet (987-996), the first Capetian king, is surrounded by powerful vassals, who strike money in their name. Under the reign of Philip Augustus (1180-1223), the politic and economic power of the Capetian monarchy strengthens. The king uses the money as an instrument to unify his kingdom.

To answer growing trade needs, King Louis IX (1226-1270) strikes two coins of sizeable value: the silver Gros Tournois, equivalent to 12 deniers, and the Gold ecu. Since the Gold ecu hardly circulates, the “Petit Royal Assis” (small seated king), issued in 1290 by Philip IV the Fair (1285-1314), becomes the first gold coin widely circulating across France.mis en 1290 par Philippe IV Le Bel (1285-1314).

After the introduction of the new franc by General de Gaulle in 1960, our recent years saw a restrike of the 100 francs silver coins, the issuance of a 10 francs bi-metal coin in 1988 and the production of the 20 francs (tripartite) coin in 1992. Since the changeover to the euro coins on January 1st, 2002, the Museum exhibits the drawings and plasters of the French faces along with coins from various other European countries.

In 1360, during the Hundred Years’ War, the first franc of the French monetary history, called the “franc à cheval”, is struck. At the end of the war, under the reign of Charles VII (1422-1461), along with the return of confidence, trade exchanges and economic prosperity come back. Jacques Coeur (1395-1456), Chancellor to the Exchequer of King Charles VII, is the artisan of the recovery of the monetary system. He balances again monies against their gold and silver values. Later, Louis XI (1436-1483) releases the “écu d’or au soleil” (gold ecu to the sun), symbol of the enlightening power of royalty.

During the wars of Italy, Louis XII (1498-1515) discovers silver coins on which portraits of the Italian Princes are struck. These coins are called “testons”, from the Italian word “testa” which means “head”. The first medals are created in Italy during the XVth century. Pisanello, a famous painter from Verona, becomes the first medal artist of renown.

Henri II (1547-1559) addresses the bad quality of royal portraits on silver testons and institutes the office of the “Master Cutter Engraver”. From then onwards, coinage bears all the specific distinctive features which characterizes it until the end of the XVIIth century: name of the sovereign, marks of the engraver and mint master, and issuing date. Germain Pilon (1535-1590) and Guillaume Dupré (1574-1647) dominate medal art for more than a century. Medals are then realized following two techniques: casting and screw press striking.

In 1640, Louis XIII reforms the all monetary system. He creates a new gold coin: the “Louis” and a new silver coin: the “Ecu” along with their multiples and dividing units. These coins are struck using the screw press technique, which was first mastered by Jean Warin (1604 ?-1672), an exceptional medal artist and technician. Under Louis XIV, medals become as well instruments of propaganda.

During the Revolution, France faces a severe monetary crisis. To remediate this situation, in 1789, the State launches the « assignat » in 1789. The “assignat” is removed from circulation in 1797 following another severe monetary crisis. In parallel, in August 1795, the Convention establishes a new monetary unit, the “franc”, to replace the “pound”. The franc is divisible in «decimes» and «centimes» (cents).

Despite various political regimes, France keeps the same monetary system it adopted during the Revolution throughout the XIXth. century. Competitions are organized to select engravers for specific coin themes. In 1898, Oscar Roty creates the famous character of La Semeuse (the Sower) for the silver coins of the IIIrd Republic.