Catalog
2 Francs Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central motif featuring the head of a waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), a large African antelope, facing forward with prominent long curved horns. A palm frond spreads between the horns at the top of the design. Flanking either side of the head is a conch shell with a fish depicted beneath each. The denomination 2 Frs appears within the design, and the legend COTE FRANÇAISE DES SOMALIS encircles the central device. |
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| Mint | Monnaie de Paris, Paris (and Pessac starting 1973), France (864-date) |
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| Additional information |
Essai pieces from the 1948 French monetary reorganization were produced by the Monnaie de Paris as trial strikes submitted for official approval as France rebuilt its coinage infrastructure following wartime disruption and occupation-era monetary chaos. This particular type was not adopted for circulation, leaving surviving examples confined almost entirely to institutional collections and the small number distributed to approved numismatic subscribers — the standard distribution channel for French essais of this period.