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.