ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Scott Semans · CC BY 3.0
Essai 1 Centime 1853
France
1853
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$0.01
Based on Copper spot price ($6.07/oz) · 95.0% purity · 1g
Updated 2:27 AM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | France |
| Years Minted | 1853 |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | 1 g |
| Diameter | 15 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Features the head of Napoleon III facing right.
Reverse
Depicts the denomination '1 Centime' surrounded by a wreath and the year 1853.
History & Notable Facts
This 1853 essai for the 1 Centime was struck in aluminum, a material so rare at the time that it cost more than silver.
Engineers at the Paris Mint experimented with it to test durability and weight, part of broader reforms under Napoleon III's Second Empire. The obverse shows a simplified head of the emperor, while the reverse features a wreath and denomination—clean lines that Barre designed but abandoned for the final copper issues.
Mintage figures are murky; records from that era often went up in smoke during later mint fires.
Not every trial worked out, of course—aluminum coins tarnished quickly in pockets.
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