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2 Gros - Honore II
| Issuer | Principality of Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1640 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | A standing frontal figure of Saint Devota, patron saint of Monaco, occupies the central field, depicted in robes with arms slightly extended. The date 1640 appears flanking the figure on either side in the field. A beaded inner border frames the central design, and a Latin legend runs around the periphery invoking the saint's protection: TV NOS. AB. HOSTE. PROT. S. DEV., meaning 'Protect us from the enemy, Saint Devota.' The lower portion of the legend S·DEV· is clearly legible beneath the figure. The flan is irregular and the strike is typical of the hammered technique employed at the Monaco mint in this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Honoré II secured the title "Prince of Monaco" from Spain in 1612, but by 1640 he had shifted allegiance decisively to France — a political pivot formalized in the Treaty of Péronne that same year. This coinage falls directly within that transition, issued under newly consolidated Monégasque authority at a moment when the Grimaldi grip on independent minting rights was being actively reasserted after decades of Genoese and Spanish pressure.
Billon issues of this type are notoriously susceptible to surface corrosion, and genuinely problem-free examples are scarce.