100 Francs - Louis Philippe Pattern

This is an essai struck at the Paris Mint in the first year of Louis-Philippe's reign, produced to test and demonstrate proposed designs before any gold coinage was committed to production. Pattern issues of this type were never intended for circulation and were typically distributed among ministry officials, members of the Conseil des monnaies, and occasionally sold to collectors through the mint itself. The silver-plated bronze fabric is characteristic of Paris Mint presentation pieces of the July Monarchy period, allowing the visual impression of a silver or gold coin at a fraction of the material cost.