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5 Francs Piedfort Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of Marianne wearing a winged helmet, rendered in high relief in the neoclassical style by engraver L. Bazor. Two sailing vessels are depicted in the field to either side of the bust, evoking the maritime character of the French Somali Coast territory. The engraver's signature L.BAZOR appears at the lower left of the bust, with the initials GB at the lower right. The circular legend REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE UNION FRANÇAISE runs along the upper rim, while ESSAI and the date 1948 are inscribed in the lower exergue. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE UNION FRANÇAISE L.BAZOR GB ESSAI 1948 |
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| Additional information |
Piedfort essais from the immediate postwar Monnaie de Paris are pattern pieces struck at double the normal flan thickness to test die quality and design viability before committing to full production runs. The 1948 aluminum 5 Francs itself was part of France's broader postwar monetary reconstruction — aluminum coinage had been introduced under Vichy as a wartime expedient and was retained afterward simply because the metal was cheap and available while the economy rebuilt.
KM#PE3 survives in small numbers, as pieforts rarely left the mint in quantity.