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5 francs Essai en laiton de Gayrard, piéfort au double
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848 |
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| Currency | Franc (1795-1959) |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of the Republic as an allegorical female figure, wearing a headband inscribed LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE, rendered in a frontal portrait style characteristic of the 1848 competition essays. The legend RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE arcs along the upper periphery of the field. The engraver's cursive signature GAYRARD appears below the bust in the lower field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
In the chaotic months following the February Revolution of 1848, the provisional government of the Second Republic held an open competition for new coinage designs — an unusual democratic gesture for a mint that had spent decades serving monarchy. Raymond Gayrard, a sculptor better known for medals and funerary monuments, submitted this brass essai as part of that competition. The piéfort format, struck at double thickness, was standard practice for trial submissions intended to demonstrate die quality to selection committees.
Gayrard's design was ultimately rejected. The commission awarded the circulating type to Jacques-Jean Barre.