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10 Dollars - Hailé Selassié I Reverse trial
| Issuer | Ethiopian Empire (Ethiopia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the Lion of Judah passant right with right foreleg raised and holding a ribboned staff or banner, serving as the imperial emblem of Ethiopia. The legend 'EMPIRE OF ETHIOPIA' and denomination 'E$10' appear in the field, with the date '1972' also inscribed. Lettering is rendered in both Latin and Ge'ez scripts. The overall design reflects the imperial heraldic tradition associated with the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is uniface in presentation, bearing only the abbreviated mark 'MET' in Latin characters below a plain field, consistent with a trial or pattern piece submitted for approval. No additional design elements, portraiture, or decorative motifs are present, indicating this piece served as a reverse trial strike to test the die or planchet characteristics rather than as a circulating coin. |
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| Additional information |
Trial pieces for the aborted 1972 Ethiopian decimal coinage were produced in Addis Ababa ahead of a planned currency reform that never reached circulation — Haile Selassie was deposed by the Derg military junta in September 1974, ending both the imperial reign and any prospect of the new series entering use. Reverse trials in silver-plated bronze are production-stage tests, struck to evaluate die quality and relief without committing to precious metal blanks.
Fewer than a handful of confirmed examples are known to have left Ethiopia before the revolution scrambled imperial records and mint documentation.