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Ecu - Honoré II 2e portrait
| Issuer | Monaco |
|---|---|
| Year | 1652-1653 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Honoré II facing right, with long flowing hair, rendered in high relief in the baroque portrait style. The effigy is depicted with armored shoulders and a lace cravat visible at the truncation. A beaded inner border frames the design. The Latin legend encircles the portrait, reading from lower left: HONO: II. D: G: PRIN. MONOECI., identifying the ruler as Honoré II, by the grace of God Prince of Monaco. |
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| Reverse description | The crowned coat of arms of Monaco occupies the central field, displaying the Grimaldi fusilly (lozengy) shield of seven diamonds arranged in rows, surmounted by a princely crown adorned with floral ornaments. A ribbon or scroll bearing the motto DEO IVVANTE is placed across the upper portion of the shield. The encircling Latin legend reads: DEO. IVVANTE DVX. VALENT: PAR FRANCIAE. & C., with the date appearing within the legend. A beaded inner border frames the entire reverse design. |
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| Additional information |
Honoré II secured the title of Prince of Monaco from Spain in 1612, but by the late 1640s he had pivoted dramatically, expelling the Spanish garrison and placing Monaco under French protection through the Treaty of Péronne in 1641. This écu was struck in the immediate aftermath of that realignment, issued by a ruler who had effectively traded one master for another and needed coinage that projected independent princely authority.
The second portrait type distinguishes this issue from the earlier Gad#MC29 series. Relatively few examples survive in problem-free condition — nearly a century of circulation under successive Grimaldi administrations took its toll on silver of this module.