1 Franc - Muhammad IV

Struck under the Husainid bey Muhammad IV al-Hadi, this issue dates from Tunisia's decades under French protectorate administration, established by the Bardo Treaty of 1881. The French retained the bey as nominal sovereign — a useful fiction that allowed colonial authorities to govern while maintaining the appearance of local dynastic continuity. Coinage was one of the few domains where that fiction was made tangible in metal.

Muhammad IV's reign lasted only from 1902 to 1906, making the production window for KM#231 unusually tight.