50 Centimes - Yusuf Piedfort Essai, 10g Cu-Ni

Piedforts are double-thickness trial strikes produced for official examination and archival purposes — not for circulation — and Morocco's French Protectorate administration used them extensively during the 1920s as Paris debated coinage reforms for the territory. This essai was struck at the Paris Mint under the authority of the Résidence générale, which controlled Moroccan fiscal policy while Sultan Yusef reigned as nominal sovereign. The arrangement was explicit: the Sultan's name appeared on the coinage, but the French Treasury determined the denominations, alloys, and production schedules.

Surviving examples are institutional survivors rather than collected pieces — most were filed with the Monnaie de Paris or distributed to officials.