MONACO. Rainier III, 1949-2005. 10 Francs 1982 Essai (Gold, 26 mm, 19.45 g, 6 h), on the death of Princesse Grace de Monaco. Variety without 'ESSAI'. Paris. PRINCESSE GRACE DE MONACO / 1929•1982 Bare head of Grace Kelly to left. Rev. PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACO / 1982 Rose separating 10 - FRANCS. Gadoury MC158 var. (with ESSAI). KM E74 var. (with ESSAI). Apparently unpublished. Tiny spots of toning, otherwise, virtually as struck.


This fascinating coin is proof that even modern numismatics can still hold unexpected and intriguing discoveries. In 1982, the Principality of Monaco issued a 10 Franc coin to commemorate the tragic death of Grace Kelly – the American film star, Academy Award winner, and, after marrying Prince Rainier III, Princess of Monaco (Princesse Grace de Monaco).

Until now, six known versions of this coin have been documented:

• The standard circulation coin struck in copper-aluminum -nickel (KM 160)
• An Essai in the same base metal (KM E72)
• A silver Essai (KM E73)
• A gold Essai (KM E74 - see lot 1192 above)
• And Piedfort Essais of the silver and gold strikes, respectively (KM PE20 and KM PE20A)

The Essai versions are marked with the word ‘ESSAI’ above the date on the reverse. The Piedfort Essai versions do not carry this marking. At this point, our coin presents an especially noteworthy anomaly: The piece presented here matches the specifications of the gold Essai (KM E74) - same weight, same diameter - yet it lacks the ‘ESSAI’ inscription. The origin of this anomaly remains uncertain. The most plausible explanation appears to be a planchet mix-up. However, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy has revealed that the alloy of this specimen consists of 90% gold, as opposed to the 92% gold content identified in the officially documented Essai. This compositional difference strongly suggests that the present piece is most likely a prototype of the known Essai. Regardless of its precise genesis, this coin represents an exceptional numismatic rarity - a heretofore undocumented variety absent from all major Monaco and Grace Kelly collections.