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50 Cents Pattern
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 3.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The denomination 50 CENT. is displayed in two lines at the centre of the field, enclosed within a wreath composed of oak and laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow. Below the denomination, the word ESSAI and the mint mark A appear, flanked by small decorative symbols. The surrounding legend reads COCHINCHINE FRANCAISE along the upper arc, with the fineness and weight specifications TITRE 0,900. POIDS 13,607 GR. inscribed along the lower arc, all within a finely beaded border. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The 1879 French 50 centimes pattern belongs to a series of essais produced by the Monnaie de Paris during the Third Republic's effort to standardize coinage following the monetary disruptions of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune. Most of these pattern strikes were produced in extremely limited numbers — Zay documents suggest quantities often below 100 pieces — intended for official review rather than circulation consideration in any serious sense.
The weight specification slightly exceeds the circulating 50 centimes standard, a deliberate essai convention at Paris to allow adjustment downward if the type were adopted.