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20 Francs Essai
| Issuer | Madagascar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Allegorical female effigy of the French Republic facing left, wearing a winged Phrygian cap adorned with the French tricolor. Two cargo ships are depicted in the background field, evoking maritime commerce. The legend encircles the design, with the date and engraver's signature L.BAZOR and the mark GB incorporated into the inscription. The word ESSAI identifies this piece as a pattern strike. The overall composition is rendered in the classical Republican tradition of the Monnaie de Paris. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Madagascar remained under French administration until 1960, and this essai — a trial strike produced for approval rather than circulation — was part of the broader French Union coinage program managed through Paris in the early 1950s. The Monnaie de Paris routinely produced essais in advance of approved circulation types, and many were never followed by a corresponding business strike at all. Whether this particular trial led to a circulating issue is the more interesting question the KM reference quietly sidesteps.