2023 Honoring America’s 250th Birthday
From France, Honoring America’s 250th Birthday, Comes a Legal-Tender Recreation of a 1782 Historical U.S. Medal Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin
Leading up to America’s 250th Birthday (2026), the Paris Mint is celebrating over 250 years of French support for the Founding Fathers of the United States by issuing a series of French legal-tender coins based on historic medals which the Paris Mint struck in revolutionary times.
History-Soaked and an Absolute Treasure
This 2023 issue, the fourth release in the series, commemorates the Libertas Americana (Freedom for America) Medal commissioned by Benjamin Franklin in 1782 following the defeat of British armed forces at Yorktown and Saratoga. It is listed in the book 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens, written by Katherine Jaeger and Q. Davies Bowers, as the top-rated Medal. In fact, it’s on the cover of the book!
Originally an estimated 200 copper and 50 silver Libertas Americana Medals were struck, though these numbers cannot be confirmed. The silver pieces were distributed to heads of state in Europe and significant military officials in America, and the copper medals were circulated in Europe and America. Two gold pieces were struck specifically for Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI. The whereabouts of these two gold pieces are unknown. French artist Esprit-Antoine Gibelin outlined the design for the dies for the original Medals, which were sculpted by Augustin Dupre and struck at the Paris Mint.
What’s really important is that these Paris Mint recreations, these first time-ever legal tender Libertas Americana coins are beautiful. And limited.
Impressive High Relief Design Created with the Original Dies
To produce this 2023 Libertas Americana Coin, the Paris Mint’s engraving team worked with historical tools dating back to 1782 to create a new die identical to the historical medal. Each Libertas Americana coin features high relief designs that are highlighted by an antiqued finish to further resemble the originals. This antiqued finish also means that no two coins are alike, and gives an extra layer to the coin which allows handling of the coin directly without fear of damage.
Each reverse depicts an infant strangling two serpents, symbolizing the defeat of British armed forces at Yorktown and Saratoga, along with the goddess Minerva, equipped with a spear and shield against a lion, which symbolizes French allies keeping the British forces at bay. The legend at the top, “Non Sine Diis Animosus Infas”, translates to “’the brave child was helped by the gods.”
Each obverse features the first profile of America’s lady liberty with flowing hair, and a freedom cap on a pole. The inscription “Libertas Americana” is presented above the profile, which translates to “Freedom for America.” The date below the profile, July 4th, 1776, celebrates the date when the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress.
Original Die from the Libertas Americans 1776
To start the process, white resin was poured on the ORIGINAL dies, which was then used to obtain a negative mold. After pouring plaster into the negative mold, the detailing and removing of historical blemishes were worked into the plaster by hand. Engraving was then carried out digitally using laser scanning of the plaster, thus obtaining a new die identical to the historical medal.
Struck in Pure 99.9% Pure Gold and Fine Silver
These 2023 Libertas Americana Coins come struck in five ounces of 99.9% gold (500€ France legal tender) and in half kilo and two ounces of 99.9% fine silver (250€ and 25€ France legal tender respectively). Or you can choose a 2-Pc. Set consisting of coins struck in one ounce of 99.9% gold (200€ France legal tender) and two ounces of 99.9% fine silver (25€ France legal tender).
Collectors Covet the Best Quality
For any collectible coin, collectors want the finest quality available. With coins, quality is measured by grades on a 70-point scale. A grade of 70 represents absolute perfection, even under magnification. There is simply no better condition—and only a fraction of coins submitted for grading return with a perfect MS70 grade, signifying the coin is flawless. That’s what you have here—Libertas Americana Gold and Silver Coins certified by NGC to be in flawless Mint State-70 (MS70) condition.
What’s Better than the Best?
But these coins have not only earned perfect grades, they’ve also been certified with a First Day of Issue (FDI) designation—which means these coins were struck on or before the first day of release from the mint. First Day of Issue coins are thought to have crisper strikes than those struck later because the dies are considered to be fresh, and because there are so few of them compared to the overall population.
You’ll be glad to have these historic, flawless and spectacular coins as part of your collection. Take a look for yourself and see why!
2023 France Five-Ounce Gold Libertas Americana Medal Recreation MS70 FDI
- Five Ounces of 99.9% Gold
- Recreation of the Medal Originally Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin in 1782
- Created Using Original 1782 Dies
- First-Ever Legal-Tender Libertas Americana
- 500€ France Legal Tender
- High Relief Design, Antiqued Finish
- NGC-Certified as Perfect Mint State-70 (MS70)
- Certified as FDI by NGC
- Limited Availability
2023 France Half-Kilo Silver Libertas Americana Medal Recreation MS70 FDI
- Half Kilo of 99.9% Silver
- Recreation of the Medal Originally Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin in 1782
- Created Using Original 1782 Dies
- First-Ever Legal-Tender Libertas Americana
- 250€ France Legal Tender
- High Relief Design, Antiqued Finish
- NGC-Certified as Perfect Mint State-70 (MS70)
- Certified as FDI by NGC
- Limited Availability
2023 France Two-Ounce Silver Libertas Americana Medal Recreation MS70 FDI
- Two Ounces of 99.9% Silver
- Recreation of the Medal Originally Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin in 1782
- Created Using Original 1782 Dies
- First-Ever Legal-Tender Libertas Americana
- 25€ France Legal Tender
- High Relief Design, Antiqued Finish
- NGC-Certified as Perfect Mint State-70 (MS70)
- Certified as FDI by NGC
- Limited Availability
82023 France Gold & Silver Libertas Americana Medal Recreation 2-Pc. Set MS70 FDI
- 2-Piece Set:
- One Ounce of 99.9% Gold
- Two Ounces of 99.9% Silver
- Recreation of the Medal Originally Commissioned by Benjamin Franklin in 1782
- Created Using Original 1782 Dies
- First-Ever Legal-Tender Libertas Americana
- 200€ and 25€ France Legal Tender
- High Relief Design, Antiqued Finish
- NGC-Certified as Perfect Mint State-70 (MS70)
- Certified as FDI by NGC
- Limited Availability
Each coin comes sonically sealed in an NGC acrylic holder with an exclusive French/American Flag label showcasing its MS70 grade and FDI designation, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity from Monnaie de Paris—the Paris Mint—the oldest continuously running minting institution in the world.
What Does “Limited Availability” Really Mean?
The mintages of these official legal-tender coins are extremely limited. The Five-Ounce Gold Coin is limited to only 50 for the entire world, while the Half Kilo Silver Coin is limited to 250 pieces, the Two-Ounce Silver Coin is limited to only 2,000 pieces, while the One-Ounce Gold Coin that is part of the 2-Pc. Set has a strict mintage of only 500.
Can you imagine owning one of the original medals from 1782? Here is the next best thing. But you don’t want to wait on this because these gorgeous, legendary 2023 Gold and Silver France Libertas Americana Coins, in perfect condition with FDI designations, will go fast.
