20 Francs - Muhammad VIII

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.