“The Centenary of Cinema” series
A selection of stars
In 1895, the French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière filed the patent for the cinematograph after their father was inspired by a demonstration in Paris of Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope, a device allowing films to be viewed by one person at a time.
The Lumières’ device, which was more advanced than its predecessor, enabled the first public screenings and offered its owners three functions: filming, projecting, and making copies.
100 years later, in 1995, the Monnaie de Paris issued a series of commemorative coins on the subject.
The collection includes silver 100 new franc coins depicting, among others, the Lumière brothers, Audrey Hepburn, Romy Schneider, Charlie Chaplin, and even Alfred Hitchcock.
15,000 copies of each coin were minted.
França 100 Francs
Charlie Chaplin, Centenaire du Cinéma, 1995, MDP, Prata
In addition to the silver treasures, there were also 500 new franc coins made of gold in both large and small formats.
In this case, 8,000 copies of each small coin and only 99 copies of each large coin were produced.
The mint mark is a bee – the symbol of Pierre Rodier, chief engraver of coins in France from 1994 to 2000.
As we are now in 2025 and cinema is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, it’s the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight once again on this wonderfully numismatic collection of commemorative coins depicting famous names from the world of cinema issued in France in 1995.
Illustration: "Cinematographe Lumiere motion picture projector, two views, front and rear" by Auguste & Louis Lumiere (1896) (Public Domain)
