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50 Centimes
| Issuer | Principauté de Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Centimes (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central oval vignette engraved in intaglio presenting a panoramic view of the Monaco rock and princely palace seen from the sea, surrounded by an elaborate decorative border of acanthus scrolls, floral sprays, and guilloche ornaments. The denomination numeral 50 is set within a foliate cartouche at the lower centre, with the title PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACO in the upper panel and the year 1920 in a cartouche at the top of the central oval. The serial number and series letter appear in the lower margin, with the printer's imprint at the foot. |
| Reverse lettering | PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACO 1920 50 Nº 04927 Série A Imp. Ve A. Chêne. Monaco Albert Berthe grav. |
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| Comments |
Monaco issued its own small-denomination emergency notes in 1920 because the post-WWI coin shortage left everyday transactions nearly impossible across the Franco-Monegasque monetary zone. This 50 Centimes piece was printed locally by Veuve A. Chêne — a Monegasque widow's press, not a specialist security printer — which is part of why these notes feel modest against contemporary French emergency issues from established firms.
The engraver Albert Berthe and designer F. Aureglia were both Monaco-based, making this an unusually self-contained production for such a small issuer. The watermark is the sole concession to anti-counterfeiting, a thin defense for a note already circulating in one of Europe's smallest territories.