10 Francs - Rainier III Anniversary of Reign

By 1974, Monaco had been issuing commemorative circulation coinage for Rainier's anniversaries with enough regularity that the series had become almost formulaic. This piece marks twenty-five years of his reign — Rainier having assumed the throne in May 1949 following the death of his grandfather Louis II, his father having been excluded from succession. The Monnaie de Paris struck these in comparatively modest numbers for a commemorative, and they turn up in uncirculated condition far more often than in genuine wear, suggesting limited actual use alongside the standard franc-denominated coinage of France, which Monaco continued to accept as legal tender.