25 Centimes Monaco essai violet

Monaco issued its first paper money in 1920 out of sheer necessity — wartime metal shortages had stripped the Principality of its coin supply, and these small-format emergency notes filled the gap for everyday transactions. The essai in violet is a printer's trial piece, not a circulated denomination; the issued version of P#2 carries different coloration, making the violet essai a distinct collecting category rather than simply an early example of the type.

Veuve A. Chêne — a Monégasque printing firm run by the widow of its founder — handled both the trials and the issued notes, an unusual arrangement given how small the operation was relative to the scale of national currency production. Albert Berthe's engraving credit is one of the few documented instances of his work on Monaco material.