IIIrd REPUBLIC 1870 - 1940 - Lot 337

IIIrd REPUBLIC 1870 - 1940 G. CLÉMENCEAU R. POINCARÉ A. BRIAND. The three heads together on the left. R/. SERVITEURS DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE PAIX 1919-1929. Sower walking left and sowing in front of a radiant sun. Edge inscribed in relief, MONNAIE DE PARIS ARGENT TITRE 0.800. ♦ Gad 851; VG 5243; Maz 2622 Essay module of the 20 francs in vermeil (silver gilt) by the engraver Turin commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Versailles Peace Treaty of June 28, 1919 (21.17 g). A superb example. According to Jean Mazard, "this coin was minted on a private initiative, which explains why it has no face value. Its sale was prohibited, despite its real public success, for counterfeiting a type of money. Given the context of the time and the rising tide of peril, it's understandable that the public was very sensitive to the combination of the Sower and political leaders as symbols of peace. Georges Clémenceau (1841-1929), the father of Victory, Raymond Poincaré (1860-1934), the restorer of the Franc, Aristide Briand (1862-1932). They represented the hopes of a France bled by the Great War."