10 Francs Essai

Essai pieces from the Monnaie de Paris were produced as pattern strikes for official evaluation, not for circulation — this 1967 nickel trial exists because France was actively restructuring its coinage system in the years following the 1960 redenomination that created the nouveau franc. Mintages on these essais were tightly controlled, typically in the low hundreds, distributed primarily to government officials, monetary archives, and a small number of authorized collectors.

KM#E1 designation confirms this as the first recorded essai in the series.