500 Francs - Mohammed V

Morocco's 1956 500 Francs was struck in the same year the country regained independence from France — Mohammed V had been exiled to Madagascar by the French authorities in 1953 and returned in triumph in November 1955. This coin effectively inaugurates his restored sovereignty in metal, making it less a continuation of the protectorate series than a deliberate break from it.

The Paris Mint produced the issue, as Moroccan domestic minting infrastructure was not yet established. Lec#293 references Leconte's classification of French colonial and protectorate-era issues — this piece sits at the very edge of that catalog's relevance.