Vatican City & Monaco. Set of 2, 10 Euro Probe / Essai Specimen 40 mm (No reserve price)

Vatican City & Monaco – 2007 – Set of 2, 10 Euro Probe / Essai Specimen Medals – 40 mm
Set of two privately issued bimetallic 10 Euro specimen-style medals dated 2007, referring respectively to Vatican City and the Principality of Monaco.
These pieces bear the multilingual designation PRUEBA – TRIAL – ESSAI – PROBE and are collector issues rather than official euro trial coinage.
1. Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI
Obverse:
Facing portrait of Pope Benedict XVI.
Around: PRUEBA · TRIAL · ESSAI · PROBE and STATVS VATICANVS.
Date 2007 beside the portrait, together with the crowned G mint mark.
Reverse:
Large numeral 10 with a seated female figure and decorative linear elements. Stars around the outer field.
Inscription: SPECIMEN.
The crowned G is recorded as the mint mark of Bayerisches Münzkontor Göde, Waldaschaff, Germany. The 2007 Vatican type is catalogued with a diameter of 40 mm and as a private fantasy issue. Numista
2. Monaco – Principality of Monaco
Obverse:
View of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.
Date 2007 above.
Around: PRUEBA · TRIAL · ESSAI · PROBE and PRINCIPAUTE DE MONACO.
Reverse:
Same general specimen design as the Vatican piece: large numeral 10, seated female figure, decorative lines and stars.
Inscription: SPECIMEN.
This Monaco 2007 type is recorded as a bimetallic medal, diameter 40 mm. Numiscorner.com
Specifications:
Number of pieces: 2
Date: 2007
Diameter: 40 mm each
Composition: Bimetallic
Type: Unofficial private probe / trial / essai specimen medals
Denomination shown: 10 Euro
Context:
Both pieces imitate the format and visual language of euro coinage but were produced as private collector issues. They were not official 10 Euro trial strikes issued by Vatican City or Monaco. The words Prueba, Trial, Essai and Probe all refer to the concept of a test or specimen issue, while SPECIMEN is explicitly incorporated into the common reverse design