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Sapèque Essai, No hole, without 'ESSAI'
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1879 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central raised square panel, solid and unperforated, dominates the field in the manner of a traditional Vietnamese cash coin. Six large Chinese characters are disposed radially around the square in the cardinal and intercardinal positions, reading in the conventional cash-coin arrangement. The characters denote the issuing authority and denomination, translating broadly as 'Great French Nation, Worth Two.' The field is otherwise plain, with no border inscription or Latin lettering present on this variety, which notably omits the word ESSAI found on related trial pieces. |
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| Additional information |
The sapèque was France's attempt to produce a coin that would circulate alongside — and eventually displace — the cast cash coins that had dominated Vietnamese commerce for centuries. The 1879 Monnaie de Paris trials produced at least two distinct essai variants; this piece, lacking both the central hole and the 'ESSAI' marking, occupies the more ambiguous position in that sequence, functioning as a proof of concept before the format question was even settled.
The holed version ultimately won out for the circulating type, a concession to local custom that French administrators recognized they could not simply override.