American Coin Designer John Mercanti Collaborates with the Paris Mint for the First Time: 2024 Liberty and Sower Proofs

By GovMint

It's not every day that a historic collaboration between the renowned Paris Mint and its Chief Engraver, Joaquin Jimenez, with American numismatic legend John Mercanti, rolls off the presses.. Yet that's precisely what happened in 2024.  

Learn more about this historic release below!

A Historic, First-Ever Collaboration!

The collaboration between Mercanti, the Paris Mint, and its chief Engraver, Joaquin Jimenez, is the first time that the Paris Mint has ever collaborated with a former U.S. Mint designer. Mercanti designed the reverse "Sower" side and Jimenez designed the obverse "Liberty" side to commemorate each nation's national symbol of Liberty on a series of limited-edition Gold and Silver High Relief Proofs.

The Famous French Sower Design: The Inspiration for Walking Liberty

You may not know who Louis Oscar Roty is, but you're likely to recognize the most famous design created by this talented French medalist. Roty was the designer behind La Semeuse—The Sower, a design used in France on several coins from 1897 to 1920. Some experts say Roty's design is similar to—or was even an inspiration for—the Walking Liberty Half Dollar designed by Adolph A. Weinman in 1916. Though Roty passed away in 1911, his designs survived the test of time, and France continued to strike his iconic design well into the 20th Century.

The Renowned Paris Mint

Founded in AD 864, the Paris Mint, also known as the Monnaie de Paris, is the world's oldest continuously running minting institution. It has received numerous nominations for its beautiful and innovative coins, including many dedicated to France's role in securing America's victory against the British monarchy.

John Mercanti: A Numismatic Legend

When John M. Mercanti retired as the 12th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, he had accomplished one of the most storied careers in the Mint's history. He had served as an engraver/sculptor for 37 years. The only engravers to serve longer were George T. Morgan at 48 years, William Barber at 47 years, and Frank Gasparro at 39 years. Mercanti also designed, sculpted, or engraved more than 100 coin and medal designs, more than any other designer in the U.S. Mint's storied history. Mercanti's U.S. Mint career began in 1974 in the pre-digital age when everything was done by hand and finished in 2010 when most of the design work at The Mint was done with the aid of digital technology. Mercanti's most notable design is the "Heraldic Eagle" reverse for the American Silver Eagle series, which was struck from 1986 until it was replaced with a new design in 2021—a glorious run of 35 years!

Mercanti's Prestigious History of International Coin Collaboration

Following his retirement, Mercanti became the first former U.S. Mint Chief Engraver to collaborate with a foreign mint in the design of a coin series when he joined forces with The Perth Mint in 2014 to design the central figure in what has turned out to be the incredibly popular Australian Wedge-Tailed Eagle series. The program features new reverse designs of Australia's largest bird of prey each year. Then, in 2023, The Royal Mint partnered with Mercanti to bring a vision of enduring friendship between Great Britain and the United States to life with The Lion and The Eagle design, marking the first-ever collaboration between The Royal Mint and a former U.S. Mint Chief Engraver.

Now, Mercanti has lent his artistic talents to the prestigious Monnaie de Paris—the Paris Mint—for its new release dedicated to the Lady Liberty of France, the Sower.