10 euros FRANCE 2020 - Mont Saint-Michel

10 euros FRANCE 2020 - Mont Saint-Michel

For more than 40 years, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has listed sites that are part of “world heritage cultural property sites.” Since 2007, Monnaie de Paris has paid tribute to several monuments included in this list in a series of collector coins. Starting in 2020, this theme expands once again throughout the world.

The obverse represents a view of Mont Saint-Michel and its bay. As usual, the Mont is dominated by its abbey. The drawing is based on a view of the bay at high tide. The water reflects the different architectural forms characteristic of Mont Saint-Michel, mainly the cloister. Birds fly over the mountains as small cumulus clouds form. The inscription "Mont Saint Michel" is visible in the upper left part of the room, but is also reflected in the water at the bottom. The year date 2020 and the "RF" are visible to the right of the face, the reflection of the latter completing this drawing. The perforations of the engravings are placed at the bottom right.

The reverse is common to all coins in the UNESCO series for this year 2020. It represents the world with parallels and meridians on the left and the inscriptions of the main sites classified as World Heritage by UNESCO on the right. These inscriptions are as if engraved on the stone, which echoes the Rosetta Stone. The left side of the globe is surrounded by the UNESCO logo and the "World Heritage" mark. The nominal value is inscribed on the left side of the globe, coinciding perfectly with the parallels and meridians.