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2 Francs - Mohammed V Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a large five-pointed star (Seal of Solomon) rendered in bold relief, with decorative foliate ornaments filling the angles between the star's points. The circular legend reads 'EMPIRE CHERIFIEN' in Latin letters along the lower arc and '·MAROC·' at the base, while an Arabic inscription curves along the upper arc reading 'المملكة المغربية' (The Moroccan Kingdom). The design is restrained and heraldic in character, with the star motif serving as the principal device. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The denomination '2 FRANCS' is prominently displayed in large numerals at the centre of the field, with the word 'ESSAI' inscribed below in smaller letters, indicating this is a pattern strike. Above the numeral, the value is also expressed in Arabic script ('فرنكان'). The dual date appears on either side: 'An 1942' in Latin to the left and '1361' in Arabic-Indic numerals to the right, corresponding to the Hijri year. A circular Arabic legend fills the upper arc reading 'المملكة المحمدية الشريفة', and a further Arabic inscription curves along the lower arc. The engraver's signature 'J. HANAUT' appears in the lower field. |
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| Additional information |
Essai pieces for Vichy-era Morocco were produced by the Monnaie de Paris under German occupation, making their political circumstances genuinely uncomfortable. The 1942 date places this squarely within the period when Mohammed V — nominally cooperative with Vichy but privately sympathetic to Moroccan nationalists — was navigating an increasingly untenable position between French colonial authority and Axis control of the metropole.
As an essai, it never entered circulation. Lec. 230 documents it among the trial strikes submitted for official approval that were ultimately shelved as wartime aluminum bronze shortages and shifting political priorities made new coinage impractical.