Far from Home

The Monnaie de Paris is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the publication of The Little Prince in France with a collection of coins and mini medals. Each issue—including eight medals, three colorized 10-euro silver coins, and 5-, 50-, 200-, and 500-euro gold coins—depicts the Little Prince and his adventures.

The Little Prince

Written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince tells the story of a pilot who crashes in the Sahara Desert. There, the Little Prince appears and tells stories while the pilot fixes his plane. After the pilot finishes his repairs, the Little Prince leaves for his home planet. 

The children’s book was first published in New York in English and French. The French publishing house Gallimard then released the book in France in 1946. It quickly became a bestseller and has sold over 15 million copies. The timeless story has been translated into 627 languages, making it one of the most widely read and translated books in the world. 

Mini Medals

Composed of Nordic gold (an alloy of copper, aluminum, zinc, and tin), the 34mm medals depict the Little Prince with his fox companion at landmarks across France. The scenes include Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Arc de Triomphe, Bastille, Montmartre Sacré-Cœur, Notre-Dame de Paris, Opéra de Paris, and Champ de Mars. The eighth medal features a colored portrait of the Little Prince surrounded by stars with a planet in the background.

Commemorative Coins

The commemorative coins feature four main designs: the Little Prince flying on a book (colorized silver 10 euro and gold 50 euro), the Little Prince holding his fox on his home planet (colorized silver 10 euro, gold 5 euro, and gold 50 euro), the Little Prince flying on a biplane (colorized silver 10 euro, gold 50 euro, and gold 500 euro), and the Little Prince flying on a paper plane (gold 200 euro). The common reverse features the book’s namesake sitting in front of the numeral “80.” Surrounding the design is the legend THE LITTLE PRINCE in French, English, German, and Japanese. 

To purchase, visit the Monnaie de Paris’s website.