The Fourth Republic's monetary reboot after Liberation produced a wave of essais — official trial strikes submitted for approval before production commitments were made. This 1948 piece is one such submission, produced by the Monnaie de Paris under the new republican administration still sorting out which designs would anchor everyday commerce. Most essais from this period were distributed to officials, collectors, and government ministries rather than tested in circulation, which is why survivors almost invariably appear in near-mint condition.
Mintages for Fourth Republic essais were typically in the low hundreds.
The Fourth Republic's monetary reboot after Liberation produced a wave of essais — official trial strikes submitted for approval before production commitments were made. This 1948 piece is one such submission, produced by the Monnaie de Paris under the new republican administration still sorting out which designs would anchor everyday commerce. Most essais from this period were distributed to officials, collectors, and government ministries rather than tested in circulation, which is why survivors almost invariably appear in near-mint condition.
Mintages for Fourth Republic essais were typically in the low hundreds.