10 Francs Ostrich, essai

Niger gained independence from France in 1960, but the first nationally branded coinage took years to materialize. This 1968 essai — a trial or proof-of-concept strike produced for official approval rather than circulation — belongs to a set commissioned through the Paris Mint as Niger established the visual identity of its currency under the West African Monetary Union framework. Essais from this period were typically struck in extremely limited numbers, often fewer than a few dozen pieces, and distributed primarily to government officials and mint archives rather than collectors.