Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Euro Cent 1999-2006, KM# 1285, France
  • 10 Euro Cent 1999-2006, KM# 1285, France
Obverse

Depicts a modern sower, redesigned by Laurent Jorio, surrounded by the 12 stars of the European Union against a background of diagonal lines; to the left are horizontal lines and the year, to the right, vertical lines and the initials of the French Republic (RF), and at the bottom, the mint marks of the Paris mint and mint master.

This Sower originally dates back to 1887. This was the year when Oscar Roty designed a prize medal commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture. He went back to the Sower of 1887 but transformed his robust peasant into a slim Marianne (national symbol of the French Republic, an allegory of liberty and reason), wearing the Phrygian cap of Liberty. The traditional profile of the Republic was abandoned in favour of a more active, standing figure. Originally, The Sower was used on the fifty centime to two franc coins introduced in 1897 and 1898, before appearing on stamps in 1903. It is thus the most widespread work of art in France.

Mint mark of the Paris Mint (Monnaie de Paris in Pessac): Cornucopia

The directors of the Paris Mint use the following mint master's marks:
1999–2000: Bee (Pierre Rodier)
2001–2002: Horseshoe (Gérard Buquoy)
2003: Heart (Serge Levet)
2004–2010: Hunting horn (Hubert Larivière)

2002 RF
L. JORIO d'ap. O. ROTY

Reverse

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the left side of the coin.

12 stars are located on the left side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “0” in “10.”

10
LL
EURO
CENT

Edge

10 Euro Cent

1st map
KM# 1285 Schön# 654
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Characteristics
Material Nordic Gold
Weight 4.1 g
Diameter 19.75 mm
Thickness 1.93 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Paris Mint (A)

Related coins

2nd map

Nordic Gold, 4.1 g, ⌀ 19.75 mm