An essai is in French what a pattern or trial piece is in English. As for your coin, have a look at http://www.muntslag.eu/ Click on ""Enter", then on "Boudewijn", then on "20 centiem". Apparently 50 million "Vlaams" pieces, ie. with a Dutch inscription (België), were made in that year, but no French ones. The French one (Belgique) was a proefslag, or essai or trial, and manipulations (from 1958FR and 1959FR) can be found.
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use