5 Francs Essai

The 1968 essai was produced as a pattern trial for a proposed aluminium 5 Francs denomination that never entered circulation — France ultimately retained the nickel-clad copper-nickel composition for the issued type. Essais from the Monnaie de Paris in this period were struck in small, controlled quantities and distributed primarily to collectors and monetary officials rather than through normal channels.

The choice of aluminium was not arbitrary; several French colonial and protectorate territories were already using aluminium coinage, and cost-reduction studies were ongoing at the mint through the late 1960s.