10 Francs Lion, copper pattern

Niger gained independence from France in 1960 but remained within the CFA franc zone, making any domestic coinage proposal largely symbolic. This 1968 copper pattern — catalogued as the first pattern strike for the country — was never adopted, and Niger continued issuing coins exclusively through the Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest alongside its regional partners. Pattern strikes of this kind were occasionally commissioned to test designs or gauge political appetite for a national coinage that never materialized.