5 Francs Essai

Essai strikes for the Comoros in this period were produced at the Paris Mint as part of France's standard practice of issuing trial pieces for its overseas territories before committing to circulation coinage. The archipelago was still a French territory in 1964 — full independence wouldn't come until 1975 — and monetary decisions were made in Paris, not Moroni.

Essais of this type typically exist in very small quantities, distributed mainly to official recipients and the numismatic trade rather than any circulation channel.