Essai pieces from Monaco in this period were struck specifically for presentation to the Conseil Numismatique and select institutional collectors — they were never intended for circulation and exist in strictly limited numbers. Rainier III used such issues in part to assert Monaco's continued status as a sovereign minting authority at a time when the principality's monetary arrangements with France were under periodic renegotiation.
KM#E56 is among the heavier gold essais of the series, struck in .920 fineness rather than the finer standard used for some contemporary French issues.
Essai pieces from Monaco in this period were struck specifically for presentation to the Conseil Numismatique and select institutional collectors — they were never intended for circulation and exist in strictly limited numbers. Rainier III used such issues in part to assert Monaco's continued status as a sovereign minting authority at a time when the principality's monetary arrangements with France were under periodic renegotiation.
KM#E56 is among the heavier gold essais of the series, struck in .920 fineness rather than the finer standard used for some contemporary French issues.