2 Francs Essai aluminium, flat rim

In 1948, the Monnaie de Paris produced a series of essais — official trial strikes — as France worked to stabilize its postwar coinage. This aluminium piece with flat rim is one of several competing specifications tested that year, distinguished from the more common raised-rim variant catalogued separately under Lec#30 variants. Essais of this period were struck in small quantities for submission and approval, not circulation, which explains their consistent preservation across surviving examples.

France's monetary system was under considerable strain following wartime occupation and Liberation-era inflation. The 2-franc denomination itself had effectively lost practical value by 1948.