France - French Revolution 1792

May 2023

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FRANCE: AE 2 sols, 1792, Maz-332A, Reynaud-8a, Essai Monneron Monnaie de Confiance de 2 Sols, 1792, First year of the Republic, small owl behind Hercules seated breaking a scepter, legend LA SAGESSE GUIDE SA FORCE (Wisdom Directs its Force, the End of Despotism) below / pyramid against a cloudy sky, legend RESPUBLICA GALLICA ANNO I mo, AERE PERENNIS 1792, the French Republic Year I, coin turn, plain edge, chocolate dark brown surfaces, NGC graded MS62 BR. Very Scarce, interesting design and history. Probably meant as a trial strike by Matthew Boulton for the Monneron Brothers contract.
Mazard lists this splendid design among Essais de Module et de Gravure. The pyramid is hauntingly familiar, recalling the Unfinished Pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States.
Description and purchase from Steve Album, Auction 19, May 2014.
Pyramid evokes the symbolism of the Masons and Illuminati involved in the French Revolution and later European revolutions as well as the Masonic connections of the Founders of the USA.

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Here is the link to the BEST article on Matthew Boulton, the Industrialization of Coinage, and the Monneron Brother's wonderful token coinage during the French Revolution:
Boulton and the Monnerons - Margolis: [ link ]