Louis II ruled Monaco under Italian occupation from 1942, and the Principality's post-Liberation coinage program in 1945 produced a series of essais — trial strikes — before regular issues were confirmed. This piece is one of those pattern strikings, produced in limited numbers for official approval rather than circulation. Essais from this period typically survive in higher grades almost by definition, having never passed through commerce.
The Gadoury reference MC135 places it firmly in the small canon of Monaco trial coinage, where collector demand has always exceeded supply.
Louis II ruled Monaco under Italian occupation from 1942, and the Principality's post-Liberation coinage program in 1945 produced a series of essais — trial strikes — before regular issues were confirmed. This piece is one of those pattern strikings, produced in limited numbers for official approval rather than circulation. Essais from this period typically survive in higher grades almost by definition, having never passed through commerce.
The Gadoury reference MC135 places it firmly in the small canon of Monaco trial coinage, where collector demand has always exceeded supply.