Old French coin I examine, like some friars (10)
I believe the answer is:
franciscan
'like some friars' is the definition.
(Franciscan friars are a religious order)
'old french coin i examine' is the wordplay.
'old french coin' becomes 'franc' (former French currency).
'examine' becomes 'scan' (scanning is a kind of examining).
'franc'+'i'+'scan'='FRANCISCAN'
(Other definitions for franciscan that I've seen before include "Type of monk" , "The sort of friar" , "brother or sister" , "Grey Friar" , "Devoted Roman Catholic" .)