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2 Francs Essai
| Issuer | French West Africa |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE UNION FRANÇAISE L.BAZOR GB ESSAI 1948 |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The 1948 essais for French West Africa were trial strikes produced at the Paris Mint for official approval, never intended for circulation. French colonial monetary policy consolidated currency across eight territories under a single franc zone, and these pieces were part of the institutional process of establishing the coinage before full production runs were authorized. The copper-nickel alloy was a deliberate postwar choice — nickel shortages during the occupation had forced France to abandon the metal entirely, and its return signaled a stabilizing supply chain.
Essais of this type were struck in strictly limited numbers, typically a few hundred pieces distributed among ministry officials, mint archives, and select collectors.