50 Francs Lion, silver essai

Niger's post-independence coinage was largely managed through the West African Monetary Union, which meant most circulating issues were shared across member states. Essais — official trial strikes produced for governmental approval — were made in limited numbers, typically fewer than fifty pieces, and served an administrative rather than commercial purpose. This silver piece was never intended to reach the public.

The 1968 date places it four years before Niger's brief experiment with a national currency collapsed back into CFA Franc dependency following the 1974 military coup.