Catalog
1 Franc - Albert I Essai, French text
| Issuer | Belgian Congo (1908-1960) |
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| Year | 1930 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bare head of King Albert I facing left, modelled in high relief after the design by sculptor Jules Lagae. The king wears a laurel wreath with a ribbon tied at the nape, his hair rendered with fine detail. The encircling legend reads ALBERT ROI DES BELGES, with the engraver's signature JUL. LAGAE incuse at the base of the truncation. The entire design is bordered by a fine beaded inner rim. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Belgian Congo's 1930 franc essais were trial strikes produced as the administration evaluated coinage designs ahead of official issue — a process the Brussels mint conducted with particular thoroughness for colonial series, often striking essais in multiple metals and languages simultaneously. The French and Flemish text variants exist as parallel pieces, reflecting the linguistic politics of the Belgian state projected onto its colonial currency apparatus.
Silver essais of this type were not intended for circulation and typically saw distribution only among ministry officials and collectors through controlled channels.