According to La Lettre, Monée de Paris CEO Marc Schwartz had 27 million 10, 20 and 50 cent coins with the new design at the end of 2023, without waiting for the green light from the European Commission. However, the institute rejected these new coins, as the stars representing Europe were inappropriate, thus forcing the Paris Mint, whose production plant is located in Passeig, Gironde, to destroy the coins, the media continues. According to La Lettre, Mr. Schwartz blamed the error on “the French state.”
At Bercy, it is emphasized that while the design of coins is a “political decision” taken by the government, the “technical details” of their production are the responsibility of the Paris Mint. However, the Ministry does not want to point fingers at anyone responsible before the end of the evaluation. This could be completed by early February.
100% recycled parts
“Given the tight production deadline, the Paris Mint started production of the new coins” to ensure their distribution at the beginning of 2024 and to “allow the marketing” in “December” of the “versions of the coins” expected by collectors, a she admitted in a press release sent to AFP. The extent of the damage caused by the typing error remains to be determined, as the metal used for the 27 million coins can be remelted to make other coins. “100% of these 27 million coins will be recycled to produce new coins in 2024,” the Paris Mint assured.
