The ‘Marianne’ coin is the first gold bullion minted in France in a century
A number of other countries around the world mint their own gold coins
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A new €4,000 solid gold coin with an image of Marianne stamped on the side is now on sale by La Monnaie de Paris mint as an option for people looking to invest in gold.
The coin, also known as ‘a bullion’, was launched on Tuesday, May 26 for existing medal and coin collectors.
The coins have the image of the French national emblem Marianne on one side, and a map of French territories on the other.
They are available in:
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Four sizes, ranging from one-tenth (3.11 grams) of a troy ounce (the weight used for gold) to one troy ounce (31.1 grams), all in 999 (99.9% pure) fine gold
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Physical format to take home, or digital version (in which case the gold is held securely by the Monnaie de Paris)
A troy ounce of gold is currently worth around $4,500 (just under €3,900), with the price having surged by 65% in 2025 to an all-time high of $5,600 by the end of January 2026.
The coins are set to be available to purchase by the general public June 16, with the exact cost to be based on the price of gold at that time.
In 2025, the Monnaie de Paris generated €197 million in turnover (up 1.7% on 2024), of which €40 million came from the production of French coins.
Until the launch of this new coin, investors only had the option of buying second-hand Louis d’Or coins (7.65 grams) or Napoléons (6.45 grams).
The Monnaie de Paris stopped minting the Louis d’Or (originally introduced by King Louis XIII in 1641) in 1792. The later Napoléon coins were first minted in 1803, and while Napoléon Bonaparte no longer featured on coins from 1815, subsequent gold coins featuring monarchs, emperors and heads of state continued to be made until 1914 (and were still called ‘Napoléons’).
The Monnaie de Paris is one of the oldest institutions in the world, and began striking coins in the year 864 AD.
The new French gold bullion coin is now part of a global collection, which also includes the South African Krugerrand (the first ever made), the UK Britannia, the Canadian Maple Leaf, the American Eagle, the Singapore Lion, and the Chinese Panda.