| Description : Charles III initiated the construction of the casino,
which opened in 1863, on a rocky spur known as the "Plateau des Spélugues" (Grottoes' Plain), renamed the "Quartier
de Monte Carlo" in 1866. The casino, which flourished after the construction of the adjacent "Hôtel de Paris" and the
rail link to Nice, covered Monaco's national budget for several decades. Charles III is depicted after a painting by
François‐Auguste Biards, now in the throne room of the Princely Palace in Monaco, in front of Monte Carlo,
which at that time was almost exclusively built with the casino and the "Hôtel de Paris", and the horizon of the sea.
The inscription "1866 ♦ CHARLES III FONDE MONTE CARLO ♦ 2016" (1866 ♦ Founder
of Monte Carlo by Charles III ♦ 2016) runs along the lower edge of the pill. Above is the issuing state
"MONACO", flanked by a cornucopia as a sign of the French mint Monnaie de Paris in Plessac and a pentagon as the mint
master's mark Yves Sampos. The coin design originates from the Atelier de Gravures of the Monnaie de Paris. |
