Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
500 francs - Louis II essai or
| Issuer | Principality of Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1934 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Ancien franc (1837-1960) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The full heraldic achievement of the Grimaldi family dominates the central field: the diamond-lozengy shield of Monaco, supporters comprising two armoured monks each grasping the mantle, surmounted by the princely crown. A ribbon below the shield bears the motto DEO JUVANTE. The denomination CINQ CENTS FRANCS is inscribed in two arched lines across the upper field, and the date 1934 appears in the exergue. The word ESSAI is placed within the legend, identifying this as a trial piece. A beaded border surrounds the entire composition. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Louis II came to the Monégasque throne in 1922 after decades of estrangement from his father Albert I, having spent much of his early life as a French military officer rather than a prince-in-waiting. This 1934 essai — a pattern struck for official approval rather than circulation — was produced as Monaco explored a new gold coinage befitting the principality's independent monetary status under a Franco-Monégasque currency agreement. Essais of this type were struck in extremely limited numbers, distributed primarily to government officials and a handful of collectors; most examples have remained in essentially unimpaired condition for exactly that reason.