20 Francs - Mohammed V Reverse Trial

Trial strikes (essais) for Moroccan issues under the French Protectorate were produced at the Paris Mint, which held exclusive minting rights for the territory throughout this period. This reverse trial — testing the reverse die independently of the obverse — represents standard Paris Mint proofing practice rather than any production anomaly. Mohammed V was only nine years old in 1929 and would not begin his sultanate until 1927 — formally recognized by France in that year — making the attribution of his name to this issue largely titular. Mintage for Protectorate-era essais rarely exceeded a few hundred pieces, distributed primarily to ministry officials and numismatic subscribers.