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TUNISIA: SET of 14 silver trial strikes

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - Africa Start Price:650.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,000.00 USD
TUNISIA: SET of 14 silver trial strikes
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1,900.00USD+ (380.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2022 Jan 21 @ 17:10UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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TUNISIA: SET of 14 silver trial strikes, trial strikes for each of the 7 denominations of regular coinage: silver trial strikes of the normally aluminum 1, 2, and 5 millim (KM-280-282, all dated 1960) and the normally brass 10, 20, 50, and 100 millim (KM-306-309, dated 1960/AH1380, except for the 50 millim which is dated 1983/AH1403), uniface obverse and uniface reverse of each denomination, all in silver, thus a total of 14 pieces; all struck on polished planchets and all in choice Uncirculated condition, set of 14 pieces. This series is known in both silver, like this set, and in gold, but none are reported for the original base metals. It is believed that they were struck at the Kremnica Mint in Slovakia, but the actual date of production is unknown; the earliest examples recorded on CoinArchives were sold in 2013, representing 3 sets in silver, 2 sets in gold, one partial set in gold, and some lots containing only two pieces, the uniface obverse & reverse of a specific denomination. The 1 & 2 millim (millièmes) are dated 1960 only, the 5 millim until 1996, then replaced by a slightly different design in 1997; the 10, 20, 50 & 100 millim until at least 2017 or 2018, though around 2010 the metal content was changed from brass to brass-plated steel. The 10 through 100 millim were dated first in 1960, then in 1983, with the next year 1993 for all four. There are two minor variations for each of the 1983 20, 50 & 100 millim coins, the first where the number "1" of the Hijri date 1403 points directly below the apostrophe above (large date), the second where it point to the right of the apostrophe (small date). On the 50 millim trial strike obverse the "1" points right of the apostrophe. This would suggest that the trial set was intended to represent the second series dated 1983 (and the continuation of the frozen-dated 1, 2, and 5 millim of 1960), thus at some time between 1983 and 1992. However, it remains undetermined why these were struck and for what purpose. Could these have been presentation pieces struck at the Kremnica Mint to demonstrate their ability to the Tunisian government?