FIVE-SOLS TRUST COIN, 1792, made of copper - Lot 169

FIVE-SOLS TRUST COIN, 1792, made of copper Obverse: Scene depicting the oath taken at the Fête de la Fédération, showing the National Guards lined up, with the exergue “July 14, 1790.” Inscriptions: “LIVE FREE—OR DIE.” Reverse: Central legend within a circle: “MEDAL · OF TRUST · OF FIVE SOLS · REDEEMABLE · IN ASSIGNATS · OF 50#. AND · ABOVE. ·- YEAR IV. OF FREEDOM” and legend: “MONNERON BROTHERS, MERCHANTS IN PARIS. 1792” Diameter: 39.3 mm, weight: approx. 30.22 g. (The Monneron brothers had Matthew Boulton manufacture large quantities of 2- and 5-sol coins in England, using Watt’s steam engine, at the Soho workshop in Birmingham, beginning in late 1791. These emergency coins were intended to alleviate the monetary shortage then prevailing in France. In March 1792, the Monnerons went bankrupt. A law of May 3, 1792, prohibited the production of private coins, followed by a decree in September banning the sale of “coins of confidence.” These emergency coins, however, remained in circulation until the end of 1793. (wear and tear)