2 Francs Essai, raised design

Pattern coinage from Monnaie de Paris in 1948 often explored compositional and relief alternatives before production types were finalized, and this essai with raised design represents exactly that process — a test piece submitted for official consideration rather than public circulation. France's postwar monetary reconstruction involved repeated trials across denominations, and many essais from this period exist in very small quantities distributed almost exclusively to collectors through the Monnaie de Paris sales program.