50 francs Hercule essai

The Hercule type had been used intermittently on French silver coinage since the Third Republic, but its revival for the circulating 50-franc piece in 1974 was partly a political gesture — Giscard d'Estaing's government favored imagery rooted in republican tradition over the Gaullist iconography that had dominated the previous decade. Essais for this denomination were struck at the Monnaie de Paris in limited numbers for sale to collectors and as presentation pieces, never entering general circulation.

The 1974 essai carries the raised edge lettering and distinctive flan preparation that separate it from circulation strikes.