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Gayrard's design Mazard 10589

As of 6-15-2026, this is one the second finest certified by NGC. The finer one is graded MS/64.

A very nice specimen of this rare essai.

Item#: 11094
Issue: Essai
France
1831 100-Francs Essai, Pattern, Trial
Catalogue#: Mazard 1059
Grade: NGC NGC 62 This is the second finest certified by NGC
Splendid Quality
Very rare

The Great Competition of 1831

In 1831, shortly after Louis-Philippe I ascended as the “Citizen King,” the French government announced an extraordinary artistic challenge: the creation of a new 100-franc gold coin. At a time when 20- and 40-franc pieces were the largest denominations in circulation, this monumental coin was never meant for everyday commerce. It was conceived as a symbol of national stability and prestige—an object of wealth reserved for the highest tiers of French society.

To achieve this, the Mint invited ten of the era’s greatest engravers and medalists to submit essais (pattern designs) for consideration:

Joseph-François Domard (Winner): His iconic “Laureate Head” would become the defining portrait of the period’s coinage.
Jean-Jacques Barre: A master engraver celebrated for his refined neoclassical style.
Nicolas-Pierre Tiolier: Former Chief Engraver; his rare “bare-head” patterns are among the most coveted today.
Raymond Gayrard: A distinguished medalist whose portrait featured the King crowned with an olive wreath.
Jean-Pierre Montagny: Known for his intricate and expressive portraiture.
Armand-Auguste Caqué: Recognized for dramatic high-relief engraving and artistic boldness.
André-Antoine Galle: A respected veteran engraver whose participation added gravitas to the competition.
Émile Rogat: Produced notable essais, often struck in unconventional trial metals such as tin or bronze.
François-Augustin Caunois: A skilled medalist selected among the elite group.
Leclerc: A significant but lesser-documented artist who completed the roster of competitors.

Today, the finished gold pieces from this competition are almost mythical—“phantom” masterpieces. The few that surface at auction are so rare and so fiercely pursued that even affluent collectors often find them out of reach.

Because the original gold issues are nearly unattainable, the surviving essais and pattern strikes—typically found in tin, silver, or bronze—offer the only realistic doorway into this remarkable chapter of French numismatic history. Though Domard’s design ultimately prevailed, every surviving pattern from the competition stands as a miniature monument: a relic of national identity, artistic ambition, and the brilliant sheen of an engraver’s trial strike.

WHAT IS AN ESSAI?

The dictionary tells us that an essai is a trial, an attempt, an experiment, a test, or a sample. In terms of numismatics, an essai has certain characteristics. It can embody a new idea, such as a new design, a new metal or alloy, a new shape, a new weight, a new method of minting, a new finish, or something else new. It can also be for testing and setting up of minting equipment, dies or hubs. An essai may be minted to try out all or parts of a new design, the edge of a coin, or the date or lettering. An essai may be minted in its intended metal, or for economic reasons, in a lesser valuable one. In some cases, they have been minted in a metal more precious than the intended one, if presented to a very important person (such as a king or a president) or to impress the final decision maker. An essai may be minted as a uniface strike, showing only one side of the intended design. It may also be minted as a piefort, which is a coin that is double or more its intended thickness or weight. In addition, an essai may be minted to study the effects of a design or the stability of the dies. French mints have struck essais for more reasons than any other mint in the world. If they had a new coin idea, they struck an essai to test it. This curiosity and constant experimentation has made the French mints some of the most advanced in the world. Whatever the reason for minting an essai, one thing to keep in mind is that they are minted in very limited numbers, usually just enough to distribute to the people responsible for making the final decision, and sometimes just a single example.