1555) 600 Years of the Forbidden City China, France: "UNESCO World Heritage Sites Coin Series": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) has) issued Gold (250, 50 & 5 Euro), Silver (10 Euro and Base Metal Coins (1/4 Euro) to commemorate the milestone: Date of Coin issue: 13.10.2020:

1555) 600 Years of the Forbidden City China, France: "UNESCO World Heritage Sites Coin Series": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) has) issued Gold (250, 50 & 5 Euro), Silver (10 Euro and Base Metal Coins (1/4 Euro) to commemorate the milestone: Date of Coin issue: 13.10.2020:

For more than 40 years, the UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) lists the sites that are part of the World heritage cultural property sites".

Since 2007, Monnaie de Paris commemorates various monuments included in this list in a series of Collector Coins titled - " UNESCO World Heritage Sites Coin Series".

From 2019, this thematic has expanded to cover World Heritage Sites all over the globe.

The Obverse of 10 Euro Silver Coin seen against a background image of the "Forbidden City" 

The 2020 Coin commemorates the largest palace of the former world, from 600 years ago - the Forbidden City, in Beijing China.

About the "Forbidden City":

An image of the "Forbidden City" lighted up at night, seen from the entrance gate

The "Forbidden City" (a translation of the Chinese "Zijin Cheng") is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, with a total area of 720,000 square metres (180 acres) and is the largest palace in the world.

Other Chinese Imperial Residences far exceed it in size - like the 6.1 kilometre Zhongnanhai (West of the Forbidden City), the 2.9 square kilometre Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing and the 5.6 square kilometer Chengde, Hebie Province, but the Forbidden City still retains its position as the largest palace in the world.

The "Forbidden City" lies at the centre of the Imperial City of Beijing, with the city having been built around the palace complex.

It is surrounded by numerous opulent Imperial gardens and temples, including the 54 acre Zhongshan Park, the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple, the 171 acre Beihai Park and the 57 acre Jingshan Park.

The "Forbidden City" was the former Chinese Imperial Palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming Dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (between 1420 and 1924).

The "Forbidden City" served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese Government for almost 500 years.

Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings, encompassing 9,999 rooms. The palace exemplifies the opulence of the residences of the Chinese emperor and the traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia et al.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City houses the Palace Museum, whose collection of artwork and artefacts belongs to the Imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Part of the museum's collection is now in the Naional Palace Museum in Taipei. Although, both museums were once a part of the same institution, they were split after the Chinese civil War.

In 1987, the "Forbidden City" was listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Adds the UNESCO Book titled "Treasures of the World" in my personal library:

" The Imperial Palaces illustrate the grandeur of the imperial institution in China from the Qing dynasty to the earlier Ming and Yuan dynasties. 

Seat of supreme power for five centuries (1416-1911), the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its landscaped gardens and many magnificent buildings containing nearly 10,000 rooms, constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilisation.

Lying the the North of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City was the Imperial Palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now known as the Palace  Museum, it is the world's largest palace complex.

The Imperial Complex of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang consists of 144 buildings constructed between 1625 and 1636. It contains an important library and offers invaluable historical testimony to the history of the Qing Dynasty and the cultural traditions of the Manchu and other tribes in the North of China.

The Forbidden City is an extremely formal place. It is almost symmetrical and hierarchically arranged so that all the important buildings run down the centre, north-south.

In keeping with geomancy, the main gate is in the south and the northern side is "protected" by the artificial Coal Hill."

The Commemorative Coin:

On the Obverse of the Gold, Silver and Base Metal Coins is seen a view of the palace from the outer court, the nerve centre of power where the important decisions were taken by the Emperor.

It is reached by the Southgate, the main entrance to the palace, and the only one today through which it can be accessed.

A gigantic dragon - symbol of the Chinese imperial power, seems to embrace the palace as if to protect it.

The inscriptions read - "600 ANE DE LA CITE INTERDIT" (meaning "600 Years of the Forbidden City") and also translated into Chinese as reflected in the courtyard in the centre. 

On the Reverse of the Gold, Silver and Base Metal Coins is depicted the Globe with parallels and meredians on the left and names of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the right.

The inscriptions are, as if engraved in the stone, which echoes the Rosetta Stone.

To the centre left periphery is engraved the UNESCO logo and the "World Heritage" marking.

The Reverse is common to all the coins issued in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2020.

The denominational value of the coins - Gold (50 Euro), Silver (10 Euro) and Base Metal (1/4 Euro) is engraved to the left side of the Globe, matching perfectly with the parallels and meridians.

The specifications of the Gold, Silver and Base Metal Coin Variants are:

50 Euro Gold Variant:

Coin Series Theme: "UNESCO World Heritage Coin Series"; Coin Theme: The Forbidden City; Country of issue: France; Denomination: 50 Euro; Year of issue: 2020; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Diameter/Size: 22.0 mm; Weight: 7.78 grams; Shape: Round; Edge: Plain; Coin Quality: Proof; Mint: Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint); Mint Mark: Cornucopia (or "Horn of Plenty");Mintage: 500 pieces; Designer: Joachim Jimenez. 

Two other Gold Variants in the denominations of 5 Euro and 200 Euro have been issued with the following variations:

200 Euros (Gold) Diameter: 37.0 mm; Mintage: 250 pieces.

5 Euros (Gold) Diameter: 11.0 mm; Mintage: 2,000 pieces.

10 Euro Silver Variant:

Coin Series Theme: "UNESCO World Heritage Coin Series"; Coin Theme: The Forbidden City; Country of issue: France; Denomination: 10 Euro; Year of issue: 2020; Metal Composition: .900 Fineness Silver (Ag); Diameter/Size: 37.0 mm; Weight: 22.20 grams; Shape: Round; Edge: Plain; Coin Quality: Proof; Mint: Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint); Mint Mark: Cornucopia (or "Horn of Plenty");Mintage: 3,000 pieces; Designer: Joachim Jimenez. 

1/4 Euro Base Metal Variant:

Coin Series Theme: "UNESCO World Heritage Coin Series"; Coin Theme: The Forbidden City; Country of issue: France; Denomination: 1/4 Euro; Year of issue: 2020; Metal Composition: Copper, Aluminum, Nickel (Cu/Al/Ni); Diameter/Size: 34.0 mm; Weight: 15.80 grams; Shape: Round; Edge: Plain; Coin Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU); Mint: Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint); Mint Mark: Cornucopia (or "Horn of Plenty");Mintage: 1,000,000 pieces; Designer: Joachim Jimenez. 

Posts on Coins and stamps issued by France:

 1) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009

2) Honouring Charles Eduord Jeanneret popularly known as Le Corbusieur, the French architect who built the modern city of Chandigarh & several other projects: A 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank 

3) Fort St. George Museum, Chennai (Part iii): i) Indo-Danish coins ii) Indo-Dutch coins iii) Indo-French coins iv) Indo-Portuguese coins 

4) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc African Financial Community" (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African States issues : the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)

5) French Indo-China issues: A silver one Paistre coin issued in 1895 

6) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emission d'outre-Mer (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)  

 7) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) - the CFP Franc

8) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part I): A one Crown Commemorative Coin issued by the Ascension Island 

9) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part II) : coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP coin issued by the Royal Mint UK: 2) A "Drie Landen Zilverset" issued by the Royal Dutch Mint - which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK 

 10) Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" or "La Pucelle": "Women of France Coin Series": 200 & 50 Euro gold coins and 10 Euro Silver coins issued by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016

11) i)"Europa Coin Programme" or the Eurostar Programme ii) Monnaie de Paris has issued a series of six coins with the theme "The Age of Iron & Glass" in January 2017

12) 100th Anniversary of Auguste Rodin's passing away commemorated with gold and silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris under its on-going "The 7 Arts" Coin Series

 13) Statue of Liberty, Paris, France: "Treasures of Paris": Coin series issued by Monnaie de Paris on 20.01.2017

14) Marianne (or Liberty): "The Trilogy": A set of Euro denominated coins in Gold and silver brought out by Monnaie de Paris in January 2017 

15) Dakota Aircraft & the Berlin Airlift: Latest coins in the "L'Aviation Historie" ("Aviation and History) Coin Series issued in 2018 by the Paris Mint:

16) The "Baroque & Rococo Era" in France : Coins feature, The Hall of Mirrors, Rococo elements of the Palace of Versailles, philosopher Voltaire and the Dancing King Louis XIV in gold & silver coins issued during 2018, under the "Europa Coin Programme"

17) George Sand: "Women of France Coin Series": Third Coin in the Series issued during 2018 by the Monnaie de Paris, France on 04.05.2018

18) "Paris, The Banks of the River Seine" ("Rivos de la Seine") : UNESCO World Heritage Site: "The Louvre Museum"(Musee du Louvre") and "Pont des Arts": Gold and Silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris on 14.06.2018

19) Notre Dame de Paris, France "Reconstruction": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) restrikes 2013 Silver 10 Euro Coin, Bronze Medal and Silver-coloured Mini-Medal, part proceeds of which will go towards the reconstruction of the iconic Cathedral which was partially burnt in a fire on 15.04.2019

20) The Micro-Currency called - "EUSCKO" , France circulates in the French Basque Country and is the largest such currency in circulation today in the world, fully backed by the Euro; ii) It is one of 44 such micro-currencies circulating in French cities; iii) Paris is on the vetge of introducing a micro-currency.

21) Guerlain, France: A set of two stamps in the denominations of 0.97 and 1.94 Euros issued by La Poste, France: Date of Stamp Set issue: 13.01.2020

22) "Ancient Postal Routes", France: A postage stamp of 1.40 Euro issued by La Poste (French Post): Date of Stamp issue: 05.06.2020

23) "Treasures of Notre Dame Cathedral" - Reconstruction over a period of five years (2019-2024): La Poste (French Post) is issuinga series of stamps under its Stamp Series every year till completion of the project: Date of Souvenir Sheet issue: 15.04.2020

24) "Fardier de Cugnot", France: 250th Anniversary of the "Fardier a Vapeur" (1770-2020): "La Post" (French Post) has issued a postage stamp of 1.16 Euro dedicated to the French inventor who built the world's first full-size, self-propelled mechanical land vehicle, the "Fardier a vapeur": Date of Stamp issue: 19.10.2020

25) "Chateau des Ducs de Bourbon", France: La Poste, France (French Post) has issued a postage stamp of 1.16 Euro depicting the famous historic castle: Date of Stamp issue: 21.09.2020

26) Vincent van Gogh, France: "Meseum Masterpieces of French Museums Coin Series": A self-portrait depicted on Gold (50 Euros) and Silver (10 Euros) Coins, minted by the Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint): Year of Coin issue: 2020

27) Mount Olympus, Mont Saint-Michel & Mount Fuji, France: Gold and silver Coins issued by the monnaie de Paris on these UNSCO World Heritage Sites in phases during2020: Mount Olympus Coins issued on 07.07.2020

28) 600 Years of the Forbidden City China, France: "UNESCO World Heritage Sites Coin Series": Monnaie de Paris (The Paris Mint) has issued Gold (250, 50 & 5 Euro), Silver (10 Euro) and Base Metal Coins (1/4 Euro) to commemorate the milestone: Date of Coin issue: 13.10.2020