Honderdjarig bestaan (?) van het Comité des Expertises in Frankrijk 1922 1922

This coin was made in France in 1922 by Auguste Paty, and its silvery surface has a real sense of history. The way the light catches on the raised surfaces—the figure of Justice with her scales, the lettering, the wreath—it's almost like drawing with light, a kind of sculptural mark-making. What I love is how Paty doesn’t hide the process; you can see every little detail, every little tool mark, as if it were a sketch. The texture is what gets me. Think about how Paty worked to create this relief, pressing and carving to get it just right. It reminds me that art is always a conversation, a give-and-take between the artist and the material. It reminds me of the work of Christoper Wool, who also isn’t afraid of exposing process and texture. It's not about perfection but about embracing the unexpected.