10 francs Victor Hugo épreuve de contrôle Revers

Épreuves de contrôle are internal Monnaie de Paris quality-control strikes produced in softer, heavier metal — typically lead or lead alloy — to check die alignment, relief depth, and field condition before authorizing full production. They were never intended for public sale or official release. That examples like this one surface at auction at all reflects decades of attrition in institutional record-keeping and the occasional departure of workshop material through informal channels.