2 Francs - Mohammed V Essai

Essai pieces from the French Moroccan protectorate were produced at the Paris Mint as official trial strikes, submitted for administrative approval before authorizing full production runs. This 1951 aluminium essai coincides almost exactly with the period of deepening friction between Mohammed V and French colonial authorities — friction that would culminate in his forced exile to Madagascar in August 1953. Whether the approved circulating issue ever saw meaningful distribution before the political crisis overtook the protectorate's monetary administration is a fair question.