5 Dirhams - Moulay al-Hasan I Obverse Trial

Trial pieces for Moulay al-Hasan I's coinage reform were produced in Paris at the Monnaie de Paris as Morocco worked to modernize its monetary system under sustained pressure from European creditors and trading partners in the 1880s. White metal strikes of this kind were standard workshop practice at the Paris mint for testing die alignment and relief before committing to the intended alloy. This particular obverse trial predates the circulating silver issue and would never have left the mint under normal circumstances.