France 2024 20€ 1Oz Camões

In 2021, the Monnaie de Paris inaugurated a series around literary styles and authors who have marked the history of literature in France and abroad. After poetry celebrated in 2021 and theater in 2022, the Monnaie de Paris is honoring Luís Vaz de Camões, a 16th-century Portuguese poet considered one of the most important literary figures in the Portuguese language.

The obverse of this coin depicts Luís Vaz de Camões in profile, surrounded by waves and sea. The symbols referring to his maritime adventures are numerous: his ruff and hair turning into waves, the sailboat on the horizon, the caravel to his right. This caravel is decorated with the Cross of the Order of Christ, symbol of the Portuguese nation, and an emblem made of a feather and a sword, evoking the sixteen years that the author spent at sea and traveling in the Orient. His right eye, which he lost in a fight in Morocco at the age of 23, is closed.

The reverse is common to the entire series "The Art of the Feather". It contains several iconic quotes such as Voltaire’s “The best is the enemy of the good,” Dante Alighieri’s “Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch’intrate,” William Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be, that is the question,” and Nietzsche’s “Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker.” A feather is engraved in the center of the coin. Below, the title of the series is present. The word “RF” is present at the bottom of the coin as well as the hallmark of Joaquin Jimenez and the engraving workshop.