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The Monnaie de Paris won the Best Crown Coin in the 2021 Coin of the Year (COTY) Awards with its Paris’ Treasures, City of Lights: Eiffel Tower coin. The award-winning coin, which is part of the “Tresors de Paris” series, commemorates the 130th Anniversary of the Eiffel Tower.

The Best Crown category recognizes coins that have all-around aesthetic and commercial appeal, and have a minimum diameter of 33mm. The City of Lights: Eiffel Tower coin is composed of silver, gilt and rhodium. It has a face value of 10-euros.

Inaugurated on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1889, the Eiffel Tower celebrated its 130 years in 2019. The Monnaie de Paris marked the anniversary with the release of a series of gold and silver coins.

The obverse shows an aerial view by night of the Eiffel Tower. As described by the Monnaie de Paris, the plunging view allows the light beam to spread out accross Paris and keep an eye on its inhabitants. Gold is used to depict the famous Eiffel Tower headlight, while black rhodium deposits accentuate the contrast between the light of the lighthouse and the darkness of the night. The 130th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and the « RF » mention are highlighted in the Seine River, which flows through the center of the coin.

The reverse is the common one of the Paris’ Treasures series. It features a contemporary view of the Paris map and also its districts represented by little pyramids. Above the map of Paris is the name of the series. Below, the face value and the vintage are shown.

The diameter of the City of Lights: Eiffel Tower coin is 37 mm, and it weighs 22.2 grams. Mintage is limited to 3,000.