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20 Francs - Muhammad VIII
| Issuer | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1950-1957 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the stylized emblem of the Tunisian Regency — a crescent open to the right enclosing an ornate Art Deco-style column or minaret device rendered in geometric relief. The Arabic legend 'المملكة التونسية' (Kingdom of Tunisia) is inscribed along the upper periphery, while the denomination 'عشرون فرنكا' (Twenty Francs) appears in large calligraphic script along the lower border. The dual dates, given in both the Hijri and Gregorian calendars (e.g. ١٣٧٠ - ١٩٥٠), are inscribed horizontally across the lower central field beneath the emblem. The overall design is executed in a bold, modernist Art Deco style characteristic of French colonial coinage of the mid-twentieth century. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Muhammad VIII al-Amin, the last Bey of Tunis, ruled during the precise years this coin circulated — a period that opened with Tunisia still a French Protectorate and closed with full independence in 1956. The French retained tight control over monetary policy throughout, meaning coins bearing the Bey's name were issued under the authority of the Paris Mint and the Banque de l'Algérie et de la Tunisie, not any sovereign Tunisian institution. Muhammad VIII was deposed by Bourguiba's new republic in July 1957, ending the Husainid dynasty that had governed Tunisia since 1705.