Catalog
5 Centimes - Honoré V small head
| Issuer | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1838 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Centimes (0.05) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Within an oak wreath tied at the base, the denomination CINQ CENTIMES is inscribed in two lines across the centre of the field, with the date below. Beneath the date, a pair of clasped hands (symbolising good faith or alliance) is depicted, flanked by the mint mark M to the right and C to the left, forming the initials M C for Monaco. The wreath is composed of detailed oak leaves and acorns, and the entire design is enclosed within a toothed border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | CINQ CENTIMES 1837. M C |
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| Additional information |
Honoré V ruled Monaco under French July Monarchy oversight, a period of considerable tension between the Grimaldi family and their restive subjects in Menton and Roquebrune — towns that would formally secede from Monegasque rule just over a decade later. The principality's copper coinage of this period was struck in extremely limited quantities befitting a microstate of Monaco's size, and the two-year window of this particular small-head variety reflects an almost immediate dissatisfaction with the portrait die.
The KM#95.2a designation separates it from the large-head type of the same denomination, a distinction that matters considerably to completists working through the Honoré V series.