20 Para - Selim III French Occupation

When Napoleon's Egyptian expedition collapsed and French forces negotiated their withdrawal in 1801, the Ottoman administration faced the immediate problem of restoring monetary order in a province that had been effectively operating under French military currency for three years. This billon issue — struck at the Misr mint under Selim III's authority — was part of that reassertion of Ottoman fiscal control during the chaotic transitional period before the French evacuation was complete.

The billon alloy reflects chronic silver shortages that plagued Egyptian mint output throughout the late 18th century, a condition the French occupation did nothing to improve.