100 Francs - Ahmad II Bronze-gilt Essai

Tunisia in 1938 was a French Protectorate, and Ahmad II ibn Ali served as Bey in a role that was largely ceremonial — real authority rested with the Résident Général in Tunis. Essais of this period were struck at the Paris Mint as trial pieces for proposed or approved coinage, and the bronze-gilt composition here is characteristic of Paris essai practice: a base metal planchet given a gold wash to approximate the appearance of a gold issue without the cost of full precious metal production.

Ahmad II died in 1942, having reigned only four years.