French Revolution - Monneron

This token 5 Sols was minted in Birmingham England. Late in 1791 Matthew Boulton, utilizing his newly invented steam driven coin presses, was commissioned by the Monneron Brothers of Paris France to produce 1, 2 and 5 Sols pieces in great quantity at his Soho Mint near Birmingham. According to various sources, the total weight of tokens produced was in excess of 70 tons. These 'monnaies de necessite' were to be used to remedy the lack of specie which plagued France during the early revolutionary years. The technical and aesthetic quality of the tokens was far superior to the bronze coins of the time.
OBV: The central theme of this token coinage is Hercules. This legendary figure is used later in regular French coinage and may derive from the Romano-Gallic Empire (~268 A.D.). Hercules is shown sitting on a promontory with 5 ships at sail in the distance. He's shown with his traditional accoutrements; the lion skin upon which he sits with the club near by. Hercules is in the act of breaking a fasces (bundle of rods or arrows), signifying the end of war. The legend above is "LES FRANCAIS UNIS SONT INVINCIBLES." In exergue: "L'AN IV DE LA LIBERTE". The date L'AN IV de la Liberte refers to the Revolutionary French Constitutional Calendar (year 4) and translates as 1792.
The REV. outer legend is: "REVOLUTION FRANCAISE. 1792". The central legend is "MEDAILLE QUI SE VEND CINQ - SOLS A PARIS CHEZ MONNERON [PATENTE]". The edge legend is: "LA. CONFIANCE AUGMENTE LA. VALEUR." This may be the only coin/token design that uses the actual words 'French Revolution'.
In March 1792, the Monneron Brothers became bankrupt and one brother, Pierre, abandoned the business. Under the other brother, Augustin, the business recovered, but a law inacted 3rd May 1792 forbade the production of privately issued coinage. In September, a further decree also forbade the marketing of these 'Medailles de Confiance'. This emergency coinage only remained in circulation until the end of 1793. These are listed in KM under France Token issues of MONNAIES DE CONFIANCE (1791-92). Be sure to examine the other Monneron piece under France listing. This example is Mazard No. 163; there is a variety (Mazard No.164), w/o the cedille in 'FRANCAISE' that is equally scarce (R1 in Mazard).

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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 ]