2 Francs Essai

The New Hebrides was a condominium jointly administered by Britain and France — one of the odder colonial arrangements in Pacific history, running parallel legal systems, police forces, and currencies simultaneously. French-aligned residents used CFP francs; British-aligned residents used Australian dollars. The essai coinage of 1970 was part of France's effort to rationalize this monetary tangle by establishing a dedicated New Hebrides franc series ahead of the 1971 circulation issues.

Essais of this series were struck at the Paris Mint in limited numbers for official distribution and collector sale, never entering circulation.