Paris Mint releases 20M €2 Notre-Dame coins into circulation ahead of reopening anniversary. Collector editions sold out fast on Oct 28.
Newsroom (28/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) The Monnaie de Paris has begun phasing millions of new €2 coins featuring Notre-Dame Cathedral into circulation, marking nearly a year since the iconic landmark’s reopening. Collector editions from the series went on sale Tuesday, October 28, offering an early glimpse of the design.
Demand for the preview proved robust: When online sales launched on the Monnaie de Paris website that morning, virtual queues frequently topped 30 minutes. The coin, showcasing the cathedral’s twin towers, will soon enter everyday use via the Banque de France, which will distribute them gradually.
20 Million Coins in Circulation
France annually commissions the Paris Mint to replace 50 to 60 million worn €2 coins. Under EU rules, the country may issue up to two commemorative designs per year. As of January 2025, the mint had produced 315,000 coins honoring the Louvre.
With the first anniversary of Notre-Dame’s December 2024 reopening nearing, the mint selected the cathedral as its theme. A total of 20 million coins will eventually circulate—fewer than the 24 million minted for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which marked the institution’s largest run to date.
Production at Pessac Facility
Since 1973, the tri-layered nickel-brass blanks for €2 coins have been stamped at the Monnaie de Paris’s Pessac plant in Gironde. Though the Paris Mint traces its roots as France’s oldest enterprise, space constraints in its historic headquarters prompted President Charles de Gaulle to decentralize production in 1958.
In 1965, Finance Minister Valéry Giscard d’Estaing selected Pessac for the new facility. The site now outputs over 1 billion coins annually, including orders for nations like Malta, Cyprus, Monaco, and Andorra. Roughly half supply France’s domestic needs. Finished coins are shipped to the Banque de France for injection into the economy.
Design by General Engraver Joaquin Jimenez
The obverse depicts Notre-Dame’s towers, topped by the Rose du Midi stained-glass window and inscribed with “RF 2025” and “Notre-Dame de Paris.” It was crafted by Joaquin Jimenez, the Monnaie de Paris’s general engraver.
The title, established by Henry II, oversees all coin designs for France’s mints. Dormant in the early 2000s, it was revived in July 2020. Jimenez, who joined in 2008, is the 30th appointee.
EU-Wide Approval Required
The design secured unanimous approval from the European Commission and all 21 eurozone members before minting. The €2 coin, introduced in 2002 as the sole denomination for commemoratives, has seen 548 variants through 2024: 463 national initiatives and 85 EU-wide tributes.
Pre-2012 rules limited issues to one per state annually; the cap rose to two, or three in cases of head-of-state transitions.
In 2025, the Vatican issued three: one for the papal vacancy following Pope Francis’s April death, another for Michelangelo’s 550th birth anniversary, and a third for the Jubilee, depicting the Holy Door’s opening.
Face Value Holds at €2
Standard circulation coins retain their €2 value. Collector versions sold October 28 ranged from €5 to €25 in premium finishes. The 20 million print run is expected to curb speculation by ensuring ample supply, unlike rarer series.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from La Croix
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