Obverse: the obverse depicts an ancient bronze elephant sculpture from the Chinese Shang Dynasty period. The inscriptions “Elephant, Époque Shang”, “RF”, the year 1996, and Chinese characters appear around the design.
Reverse: the reverse features the denomination “10 Francs” and the marking “1/2 euro”, surrounded by the twelve stars of the European Union. Around the edge are the inscriptions “Trésors des Musées d'Europe” and the French motto “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”.
About the coin: this silver coin is part of France’s “Treasures of Europe’s Museums” series. It showcases a famous elephant-shaped ritual bronze vessel from the Shang Dynasty (circa 13th–11th century BC), regarded as one of the finest examples of ancient Chinese bronze craftsmanship.
