French 1 Centime

The 1 Centime coin, introduced in 1795, was France's first step into decimal currency, slicing through the chaos of the old louis and sous system with a simple copper unit worth one-hundredth of a franc.

That initial design featured a simple wreath on the obverse, struck at the Paris mint using copper planchets that were sometimes recycled from melted-down foreign coins. Over two centuries, variations appeared under different regimes—Napoleon's empire added his bust, later ones opted for abstract symbols—but the core purpose remained: small change for markets and pockets. Mintage figures vary by year; records for the early 1800s are spotty, lost in various archival mishaps.

One oddity: during World War II, some were hoarded as metal scraps more than money. As for myths, I've heard tales of them being cursed by revolutionaries; utter nonsense, of course. They were just coins.