The Monnaie de Paris produced a series of pattern coins in 1888 for French colonial and protectorate territories, experimenting with denominations and compositions that never reached circulation. This piece — silver-plated bronze rather than the solid silver or copper of approved issues — suggests it was a presentation or trial striking intended to demonstrate finish options to an approving authority, not a serious production proposal.
Lec#39a places it within Lecompte's classification of French colonial patterns, a collecting area where the line between official trial and workshop curiosity is rarely clean.
The Monnaie de Paris produced a series of pattern coins in 1888 for French colonial and protectorate territories, experimenting with denominations and compositions that never reached circulation. This piece — silver-plated bronze rather than the solid silver or copper of approved issues — suggests it was a presentation or trial striking intended to demonstrate finish options to an approving authority, not a serious production proposal.
Lec#39a places it within Lecompte's classification of French colonial patterns, a collecting area where the line between official trial and workshop curiosity is rarely clean.