10 Francs - Ahmad II Essai

Ahmad II ibn Ali ruled as Bey of Tunis under the French Protectorate, a largely ceremonial arrangement that nonetheless required his effigy on Tunisian coinage. Essai pieces — official trial strikes submitted for administrative approval — were produced in small numbers and rarely entered circulation. Most remained in government archives or were distributed among officials and collectors of the French colonial monetary apparatus.

The .680 silver alloy was a deliberate step down from earlier Tunisian coinage standards, reflecting post-Depression pressures on French colonial monetary policy in 1935.