In the hearts of the French, certain personalities have a special place. So much so that if they had to choose, a handful of stars would have their faces depicted on coins and banknotes.
On a poster, a record cover, a book cover or decorative objects, we sometimes find the faces of certain stars posing proudly on them. For most of us, this is something that’s pretty standard. And if you had the chance to choose a celebrity’s face to put on a coin or bank note, who would you choose? This question was asked via an online questionnaire to 1,011 French people aged over 18 as part of a study commissioned by MoneyVox, and conducted by YouGov France between January 11 and 14, 2024, to find out what they think about the euro.
Contrary to what one might have thought, it is not just actors and actresses, singers, who appear in the ranking of personalities that the French would like to see appear on euro coins and banknotes. According to the results of the study, first place is occupied by a figure, esteemed and listened to, partly for the cause of women and children: it is Simone Veil who collected 38% of the votes. In second position, we find the couple of scientists, Pierre and Marie Curie (35%), to whom we owe in particular the discovery of two radioactive elements, polonium and radium. Third place then goes to the first French president elected under the Fifth Republic, namely Charles de Gaulles (32%).
The ranking then takes shape with other political figures: the former President of the Republic François Mitterrand (9%), the former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors (9%), the artist and resistance fighter Joséphine Baker ( 8%) or the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet (7%). Names that resonate with many and which could perhaps one day appear on a 2 euro coin or a 10 euro note.
And for good reason, in the past, coins have already been made with the image of a few personalities, such as the 2 euro coin stamped with the face of Jacques Chirac, which was marketed in 2022 to pay tribute to him. Currently, the design seen on most of the new 1 euro and 2 euro coins is a tree, made up of oak and olive branches, which symbolizes life, growth and peace. A work by the French artist Joaquin Jimenez.