France

2020

Commemorative coin

Charles de Gaulle

Official Journal of the European Union

The design represents two profiles of Charles de Gaulle at two different times. The profile in the background shows Charles de Gaulle in army general is uniform during the call to arms of the 18th June 1940 or during the liberation of Paris. The profile in the foreground represents Charles de Gaulle during his second presidential term of office. Finally, the mention RF is semi-integrated in a Lorraine cross, symbol of free France chosen by General de Gaulle in 1940. His dates of birth and death as well as the year date are also inscribed in the Lorraine cross. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Additional information

Charles de Gaulle is depicted twice on the coin: firstly, in the background, as the general who led the resistance of Free France against the German occupation during the Second World War. Thus the number of copies of the coin - 18,061,940 - is intended to commemorate his appeal of 18 June 1940, broadcast on the BBC radio. In the foreground, de Gaulle is also depicted at an advanced age as President of France (1959-1969). On the left, the emblem chosen by de Gaulle for the Forces françaises libres (Forces for a Free France), a patriarchal cross known as the Cross of Lorraine, forms the background for the "F" of the country code "RF" (République française).

Edge lettering

Designer