The Little Prince - Airplane - 22,5g - Silver Proof Collector Coin

First published in France in 1946, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince is much more than a children's story: it is a universal work that transcends generations and celebrates poetry, friendship and wonder at the world. Translated into 627 languages and dialects, this timeless story has become one of the most read and translated books in the world.

Written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince was first published in 1943 in New York in English and French before being published in France in 1946 by Gallimard, where it became a bestseller with more than 15 million copies sold.

To mark the 80th anniversary of the publication of this iconic work in France, Monnaie de Paris pays tribute to the Little Traveller from the Stars with a collection that illustrates 80 years of adventures and journeys, highlighting the different modes of transport associated with the Little Prince's adventures. Planes, planets, compasses, telescopes and luggage come together in original designs that call out for adventure. The Little Prince is an initiatory story in which the protagonist leaves his planet to discover others. By highlighting travel, Monnaie de Paris also pays direct homage to Antoine de Saint Exupéry, who was himself a great traveller thanks to his profession as an aviator.

On the obverse of the coin, the Little Prince and the fox sit in an aeroplane that hovers against a backdrop of a starry sky. Both figures look as if they are searching for something. The boy and his friend are fully immersed in exploration, ready to bring light into the shadows and navigate the infinite universe they find themselves in. In a sky where a single planet floats among the stars, the name "Little Prince" is stamped along the edge of a coin.

On the reverse side of the coin, above the denomination, the logo for the 80th anniversary of the Little Prince, which consists of a bust of the figure leaning on his arm in front of the number 80. Along the edge, the inscription 'The Little Prince' in French, English, German and Japanese recalls the universal dimension of this figure. Also depicted are the RF mark, the marks of the engraver's workshop and master engraver, and the year 2026.