Remember change? No, not that Obama-era Shepard Fairey business, we’re talking about the jingly nonsense we had to carry around before credit cards were invented.
Well, turns out a lot more of it is made in France than you thought. (Okay so maybe not all of it is made in France, but a lot of it is.) This French mint, the Monnaie de Paris, makes more than just French Euros. Lebanese pounds, Thai bahts, and other outsourced currencies from Asia and the Middle East have become crucial to the mint’s survival as European countries have become more and more dependent upon chip-based payment options.
Watch this French artist engrave tiny, intricate designs based on larger-than-life coin models. It’s no wonder France is the country of choice for minting foreign currency. From Cezannes to pennies, the French know how to make an art of anything.
You can tour the Monnaie de Paris, one of the oldest buildings in Paris and host of monthly exhibitions.
