10 Francs - Louis II Silver Piedfort Essai

Louis II spent most of World War II in an increasingly compromised position — Monaco was occupied by Italy from 1942, then Germany from 1943, and the principality's coinage arrangements were effectively dictated by occupying powers. The 1945 essai issues, struck as the occupation ended, were part of restoring an independent monetary identity after years of suspended normal production.

Piedforts of this type were struck at roughly double the standard planchet thickness, a French minting tradition used specifically for presentation and archival purposes. The Gadoury reference MC136 confirms this as a distinct essai classification, not a pattern or trial in the conventional sense.