1 Franc Piedfort Essai

Piéforts are struck at double or greater thickness specifically for official presentation and archival purposes — never intended for circulation. The 1948 aluminium franc piéfort from the Monnaie de Paris falls into a postwar period when France was still navigating monetary instability following occupation and the collapse of the Vichy regime, with the franc itself undergoing successive devaluations that would culminate in the 1960 redenomination creating the nouveau franc. Mintages for piéfort essais from this period are typically counted in the dozens.