France’s Pasteur Coin Named “Most Historically Significant” Coin for 2022-dated Coins
France’s 10 EURO honoring Louis Pasteur was named the Most Historically Significant for the Coin of the Year (COTY) Awards for 2022-dated coins. The winning silver coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Pasteur, a renowned scientist most remembered for discovering the first vaccine and the pasteurization process that now bears his name.
Louis Pasteur was born on December 27, 1822, in Dole, France. He would go on to become a renowned chemist, pharmacist, and microbiologist. Among his many scientistic contributions, Pasteur invented a food preparation process that removed bacteria and prevented spoilage, which became known as pasteurization. He also developed the principle of vaccination and created the world’s first vaccines for anthrax and rabies.
In partnership with the Pasteur Institute, Monnaie de Paris is donating €1 from the sale of the coin to the foundation to support ongoing research.
The Pasteur coin was engraved by Joaquin Jimenez, the general coin engraver for the Monnaie de Paris. The obverse features the bust of Louis Pasteur in semi-profile on the right of the coin, with the year 2022 below. A microbiology microscope is depicted at the center. On the left is an enlarged bacillus with the inscription “LOUIS PASTEUR 1822 – 1895,” with “200 ans” below and the motto “Guérir parfois, Soulager souvent, Écouter toujours” around the enlarged bacillus.
On the reverse, the face value (20 EURO) is written between two branches of laurel and oak, surrounded by the inscription “RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE” and three hexagons.
The Pasteur coin weighs 17 grams and measures 31 mm in diameter. Mintage is limited to 75,000.