This 1929 pattern was struck in anticipation of a currency reform that would modernize Ethiopia's monetary system ahead of Haile Selassie's coronation the following year. Pattern issues from this period were produced in extremely limited numbers — often fewer than a dozen examples per design — and many were struck at the Paris Mint, which held the Ethiopian coinage contract through much of the early twentieth century. Whether this specific piece was ever submitted for official approval or remained a purely exploratory strike is not documented with certainty.
This 1929 pattern was struck in anticipation of a currency reform that would modernize Ethiopia's monetary system ahead of Haile Selassie's coronation the following year. Pattern issues from this period were produced in extremely limited numbers — often fewer than a dozen examples per design — and many were struck at the Paris Mint, which held the Ethiopian coinage contract through much of the early twentieth century. Whether this specific piece was ever submitted for official approval or remained a purely exploratory strike is not documented with certainty.