Written by the Maison Or & Bijoux Cannes team · updated
| Country | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Principality of Monaco |
| Princes | Louis II (coins of 1945 to 1947), Rainier III (1950 to 2001) |
| Unit | Monegasque franc, at par with the French franc; 100 old francs to 1 new franc in 1960 |
| Mint | Monnaie de Paris, no mint letter |
| Base metals | Aluminium, aluminium-bronze, copper-nickel, nickel; bimetallic (1989) and trimetallic (1992) |
| Silver 5 francs | 1960 and 1966; 835‰ silver, 12 g (10.02 g fine silver), 29 mm, reeded edge |
| Silver 10 francs | 1966; 900‰ silver, 25 g (22.5 g fine silver), 37 mm, striated edge |
| Silver 100 francs | 1982; 900‰ silver, 15 g (13.5 g fine silver), 31 mm |
| Privy marks | Owl, then dolphin, then bee, as on French francs of the same years |
| References | KM 122 (5 francs 1945), KM 133 (100 francs 1950), KM 141 (silver 5 francs), KM 146 (10 francs 1966), KM 161 (100 francs 1982), KM 163 (bimetallic 10 francs) |
A prince in profile on one side, the Grimaldi arms or a knight in armour on the other, and the words “PRINCE DE MONACO”: that is a Monegasque franc coin. Struck in Paris to the same weights and sizes as French coins, they were exchanged franc for franc and passed from one country to the other. Most are base-metal circulation coins; collector interest centres on the 1960s silver, a few low-mintage dates and the many essais (patterns).
For Louis II (1945-1947): bust facing left, legend “LOUIS II PRINCE DE MONACO”. For Rainier III: head in profile, legend “RAINIER III PRINCE DE MONACO” followed by the date. Some later coins replace the portrait with a knight in armour or a crowned monogram.
Usually the crowned arms of Monaco, sometimes on a mantle, with the denomination and the motto “DEO JUVANTE” (with God's help). On the bimetallic 10 francs of 1989-2000: “PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACO”, the denomination and the RR monogram. Essais also carry the word “ESSAI”.
The table follows the types in date order, from the francs of Louis II to Rainier III's last coins. Mintages below 50,000 and the essais are what collectors look for. The same figure across several dates often means the catalogue spread one total, not a count for each year.
| Coin | Year | Metal | Mintage | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 franc Louis II | 1945 | Aluminium-bronze, 4 g | unknown | Yellow-metal version of the 1943 aluminium type. |
| 2 francs Louis II | 1945 | Aluminium-bronze, 8 g | 1,082,687 | Signed L. MAUBERT. |
| 5 francs Louis II | 1945 | Aluminium, 3.5 g | 1,000,000 | Large, light 31 mm coin signed by Maubert. |
| 10 francs Louis II | 1946 | Copper-nickel, 7 g | 1,000,000 | Signed P. TURIN. |
| 20 francs Louis II | 1947 | Copper-nickel, 10 g | 1,000,000 | Last type in Louis II's name. |
| 10, 20 and 50 francs Rainier III | 1950-1951 | Aluminium-bronze | 500,000 per type and date | First coins of the new prince. |
| 100 francs Rainier III | 1950 | Copper-nickel, 12 g | 500,000 | Knight in armour on the reverse; aluminium-bronze essai of 1,700. |
| 10 to 100 francs, gold essais | 1950 | Gold | unknown | Cased set of four essais, engraved by Turin. |
| 100 francs Rainier III | 1956 | Copper-nickel, 6 g | 500,000 | Small 24 mm module, engraved by Lagriffoul. |
| 5 francs Rainier III | 1960 | 835‰ silver, 12 g | 125,000 | Cased essai set of 1 and 5 francs: 500 for the 5 francs. |
| 10, 20 and 50 centimes | 1962 | Aluminium-bronze | 750,000 / 750,000 / 375,000 | Many essais, including piedforts of 25 and 100. |
| 5 francs Rainier III | 1966 | 835‰ silver, 12 g | 125,000 | Last silver date of this type. |
| 10 francs Charles III | 1966 | 900‰ silver, 25 g | 62,500 | Essai on a proof flan: 1,000; only 37,500 put into circulation according to another source. |
| 10 francs | 1974 | unknown | 25,000 | 25th anniversary of the reign. |
| 5 francs | 1975 to 1979 | Copper-nickel | 10,000 to 14,500 a year | Very small mintages for a circulation type. |
| 1 and 5 centimes | 1982 | Steel, aluminium-bronze | 10,000 each | Smallest centime mintage. |
| 100 francs Rainier and Albert | 1982 | 900‰ silver, 15 g | 30,000 | Engraved by Cochet; gold piedfort of 250. |
| 1/2 franc | 1989 | Nickel | 10,000 | Small late-series mintage. |
| Bimetallic 10 francs | 1989 | Nickel and copper-aluminium, 6.5 g | 3,000 | First year of the type, struck until 2000. |
| Trimetallic 20 francs | 1992 | Three alloys, 9 g | 100,000 | Highest denomination of the circulation series. |
| Bimetallic 10 francs | 2000 | Nickel and copper-aluminium | 238,000 | Last known date of this type. |
Mintages from Collector's Key (a catalogue based on Krause), cross-checked where possible with Coin Varieties, Stash of Coins and the CGB and Künker listings for essais. Catalogues disagree on some figures, notably for the 1966 10 francs: see the questions.
The Monegasque franc never had a rate of its own against the French franc: it was exchanged at par, and sources agree that both countries' coins were legal tender on either side of the border. This rests on long-standing ties. An 1865 convention created the customs union between the two states; it was replaced in 1912, then by the customs convention of 18 May 1963, in force from 1 September that year.
Currency rules follow the same pattern: a 1938 convention on the effects of the franc's devaluation, a 1945 convention on exchange control. When France moved to the new franc in 1960, Monaco followed at the same rate of 100 old francs to one new franc.
Production was entrusted to the Monnaie de Paris. Monegasque coins often share the metals, weights and diameters of the French coins of the day: the 1960 silver 5 francs has exactly the measurements of the French Semeuse 5 francs. From 1999 the Monegasque franc became, like the French franc, a subdivision of the euro; euro coins replaced it in 2002.
Start with the prince's name. LOUIS II marks the coins of 1945 to 1947: aluminium-bronze for the 1 and 2 francs, aluminium for the 5 francs, copper-nickel for the 10 and 20 francs. RAINIER III, prince from 1949, appears from 1950 to the last coins of 2000.
Then look for the signature, engraved small under the bust or in the field. It dates the coin better than its style: L. MAUBERT for 1945, P. TURIN for coins from 1946 to 1960, R. COCHET for the 1982 100 francs, R.B. BARON for the bimetallic 10 francs from 1989.
There is no mint letter, since everything was struck in Paris. As on French francs, though, small symbols often flank the date: these are the privy marks of the chief engraver. The owl matches Raymond Joly's years (1958-1974), the dolphin Émile Rousseau's (1974-1994), the bee Pierre Rodier's (1994-2001). Finally, the denomination is written either in full (“2 FRANCS”) or abbreviated (“5 F”, “10 F”).
Two silver types circulated. The 5 francs of 1960 and 1966, with Pierre Turin's effigy of Rainier III, contains 10.02 g of fine silver, like its French neighbour. The 1966 10 francs, a large 37 mm coin in 900‰ silver, shows on one side the profile of Prince Charles III with his reign dates, 1856-1889, and on the other the arms of Rainier III. It is signed by Maurice Delannoy. In 1982, a silver 100 francs paired Rainier III with Hereditary Prince Albert, after Robert Cochet.
Monaco had a large number of essais struck, recognisable by the word “ESSAI” in the field. They were sold to collectors, often cased: 500 sets of 1 and 5 francs in 1960, 1,000 essais of the 1966 10 francs on a proof flan, 1,700 essais of the 1950 100 francs in aluminium-bronze. Some are piedforts, struck on a thicker-than-normal flan.
Gold only appears on these collector pieces: a cased set of four gold essais of the 10, 20, 50 and 100 francs of 1950, and a gold piedfort of the 1982 100 francs, limited to 250. For other gold coins, see the 20 francs Napoleon III or ask through our coin identification page.
French coins of the same format. The silver Semeuse 5 francs has the fineness, weight and diameter of Rainier III's 5 francs. The French Génie de la Bastille 10 francs shares the 6.5 g weight and the alloy of the bimetallic Monaco 10 francs, with a very close diameter. Only the design and legend settle it.
An essai and a circulation coin. Both carry the same date and design. Look for the word “ESSAI”, a thicker flan or a mirror finish. An essai often has a smaller mintage than the circulation coin, but not always.
Rainier III's two old 100 francs. The 1950 coin measures 30 mm and weighs 12 g; the 1956 coin is only 24 mm and 6 g.
Monaco's euro coins. Struck since 2001 with the same reference to the principality, they form a separate series, covered on the page for the 2 euros of Monaco, the Vatican and San Marino.
Tokens and medals. Monaco produced many medals bearing the princes' profiles. With no amount in francs and no “DEO JUVANTE”, they are not coins.
Most Monaco francs were struck in hundreds of thousands and are commonly found. Collectors look first at the mintage. In the 1970s and 1980s Monaco produced only small quantities of some denominations: 10,000 to 14,500 a year for the 5 francs from 1975 to 1979, 10,000 for the 1 and 5 centimes of 1982 and for the 1989 1/2 franc, and just 3,000 for the first bimetallic 10 francs of 1989.
Next comes condition. The 1945 aluminium coins scratch and dent easily. On the portraits, the prince's hair and ear wear first; on the reverse, check the crown and the detail of the mantle behind the arms. A coin taken from a set should keep its original lustre.
Keep cases and certificates: they document where an essai came from. And clean nothing, since cleaning leaves permanent marks. If in doubt, a numismatist can help through our coin identification page.
Monaco is Cannes' neighbour on the French Riviera, and its currency long was France's under another portrait. The two countries have formed a customs union since the 1865 convention, renewed in 1912 and then by the convention of 18 May 1963. The Monegasque franc was exchanged at par with the French franc, and sources state that the coins were legal tender in both countries, so they could mix with French francs in purses across the region. The neighbourhood convention of 18 May 1963 also deals, in its article 18, with the striking of Monegasque coins by the Monnaie de Paris; an exchange of letters in 2003 amended this article for euro coins. You can bring your Monaco coins to the Cannes shop to have them identified, essais included.
No. Like the French franc, the Monegasque franc was replaced by the euro in 2002, and the exchange period has closed. These coins now belong to collecting.
Look for the word “ESSAI” in the field, usually near the date or the denomination. A thicker flan points to a piedfort, a mirror-like surface to a proof-flan strike.
Catalogues give 62,500. Another source, citing Gadoury, says only 37,500 were put into circulation. The gap remains to be settled against the catalogue.
Yes: 12 g of 835‰ silver and 29 mm across in both cases. Rainier III's portrait and the arms of Monaco set them apart.