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50 Francs Piedfort Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Copper-nickel |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field dominated by the bold numeral '50' flanked symmetrically by two tall upright ears of wheat, their stems rooted at the base of the design. Below the numeral, the denomination FRANCS is inscribed, followed by the date 1949 flanked by small decorative ornaments. The lower portion of the reverse features a recessed rectangular panel bearing the legend ALGERIE in large capital letters, with the word ESSAI engraved in small capitals along the bottom rim, denoting the trial or pattern nature of the piece. |
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| Mint | Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France |
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| Additional information |
Piedfort essais from the Monnaie de Paris in this period were produced as struck specimens for official evaluation, not for circulation — their doubled thickness was a deliberate convention allowing die engravers and mint authorities to assess relief depth and metal flow before committing to production dies. The 1949 date places this piece in the immediate postwar monetary reconstruction, when France was still negotiating the practical realities of a debased coinage system under severe metal constraints imposed by occupation-era policy.
The KM#PE2 designation confirms this as a recognized piedfort type rather than a pattern curiosity, though surviving population figures remain thin.