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100 Francs - Rainier III Heir Apparent Prince Albert - Essai
| Issuer | Monnaie de Paris |
|---|---|
| Year | 1982 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#E76, Gad#MC163 |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The full achievement of the arms of the Principality of Monaco displayed centrally in the field, featuring the quartered shield of the Grimaldi family supported by two monks in habit, with a princely mantle and coronet above. The circular legend PRINCIPAUTE DE MONACO arcs across the upper portion, while the denomination 100 FRANCS appears in large characters along the lower arc. The word ESSAI is inscribed in the exergue beneath the shield, confirming the essay or pattern status of this strike. |
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| Additional information |
Essai pieces from the Monnaie de Paris were produced in extremely limited quantities as official trial strikes, distributed primarily to collectors, government officials, and institutional archives rather than entering circulation. This particular issue marks Prince Albert's designation as heir apparent — a constitutional formality in Monaco that nonetheless carried diplomatic weight given the principality's unusual succession laws, which had been codified under the 1962 constitution following the crisis years of Charles de Gaulle's threats to annex Monaco over tax treaty disputes.
The .920 gold fineness is characteristic of French monetary tradition rather than the .900 standard common to most mid-century European gold coinage.