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5 Francs Essai
| Issuer | New Hebrides (1906-1980) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1921-1982) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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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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| Obverse lettering | RÉPVBLIQVE FRANÇAISE R·JOLY 1970 (Translation: French Republic) |
| Reverse description | A frigate bird rendered in stylised relief stands at centre, facing right with wings slightly raised, occupying the upper portion of the field. The word ESSAI appears in the field to the right of the bird, confirming the essai (trial strike) status of the piece. The large numeral 5 dominates the lower field, accompanied by the denomination legend FRANCS separated by dots. The circular inscription NOUVELLES - HÉBRIDES arcs around the upper periphery, completing the design. |
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| Additional information |
The New Hebrides was an Anglo-French condominium — one of the stranger colonial arrangements of the twentieth century, governed jointly by Britain and France with parallel administrations, parallel legal systems, and parallel currencies. French Pacific francs circulated alongside the pound, and the coinage issued under the condominium had to satisfy two metropolitan governments simultaneously. The 1970 essai series was produced at the Paris Mint as trial strikes ahead of a planned circulation coinage, part of a broader push to regularize the territory's monetary situation before independence.
The condominium dissolved in 1980 when Vanuatu was proclaimed independent. Circulation versions of this denomination were never widely distributed.