Bank Al-Maghrib commissioned pattern strikes in gold during the mid-1960s as Hassan II worked to consolidate Morocco's post-independence monetary institutions — the dirham itself had only been reintroduced in 1960, replacing the franc after the protectorate era. Essai pieces from this period were produced in extremely limited numbers, primarily for archival and official presentation purposes rather than any anticipated circulation.
The first portrait type was superseded relatively quickly, making this particular essai a transitional artifact from the earliest years of Hassan II's coinage program.
Bank Al-Maghrib commissioned pattern strikes in gold during the mid-1960s as Hassan II worked to consolidate Morocco's post-independence monetary institutions — the dirham itself had only been reintroduced in 1960, replacing the franc after the protectorate era. Essai pieces from this period were produced in extremely limited numbers, primarily for archival and official presentation purposes rather than any anticipated circulation.
The first portrait type was superseded relatively quickly, making this particular essai a transitional artifact from the earliest years of Hassan II's coinage program.