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| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
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| Diameter | 15 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Napoleon III facing left, with short beard and mustache, engraved in the style of chief engraver Jean-Jacques Barre. The circular legend reads NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR around the upper periphery, with the date 1861 displayed prominently in the lower exergue area. The engraver's signature BARRE appears incuse below the truncation of the neck. The design is enclosed within a dentilated inner border. |
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| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This is an essai de coins — a trial striking used to evaluate Barre's laureate head design before committing to full production dies. Jean-Jacques Barre served as Graveur Général de la Monnaie from 1855 until his death in 1855, and his laureate portrait of Napoleon III competed internally with other proposed types throughout the early 1860s. Pattern pieces of this kind were produced in very small numbers, distributed among mint officials and occasionally the emperor himself, and almost never entered commerce through normal channels.