The Monnaie de Paris has announced that a 2 euro commemorative coin will be issued in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Asterix.
A beloved character
The Asterix comic first appeared on October 29, 1959 created by writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Albert Uderzo. The series presents the adventures of the inhabitants of the famous little village in Armorique (engl. Armorica) made up of irreducible Gauls. After 36 world-famous adventures, the main hero is already celebrating his 60th birthday.
Two “generations of authors”
A meeting of René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo in 1951 marked the birth of an exceptional friendship and professional collaboration of a lifetime. In 1959, the partners created the newspaper Pilote, a big weekly for the youth, in which the first boards of Asterix the Gaul were published. After the death of René Goscinny in 1977, Albert Uderzo continued the adventures alone for more than 35 years. In 2013, after more than 70 years of drawing, he decided to stop and transmit the creation of Asterix albums to Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad.
The celebratory design represents Asterix in profile wearing his famous winged helmet. He is surrounded by laurels and Roman inscriptions referring to his 60th birthday.
10,000 pieces of the proof quality version will be issued. 100,000 pieces each of the Asterix, Asterix and Obelix, and Asterix and Idefix coins will be issued. No circulating version will be available. Images of the “Asterix and Obelix” and “Asterix and Idefix” are not yet available.
Additional information and pictures will be available on the Monnaie de Paris website.
In 2015, Asterix as well as Obelix and Idefix were added to the French “Values of the Republic” commemorative coin series.
You can learn more about the history of the treasured comics on the Asterix website.
