An out of the way city needs revenue to go with it’s recently received recognition. A bright dowager Princes has an idea and an energetic Prince to make it happen. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Small European city states often have some of the best stamps. It is important to them as they print far more than necessary for postage. Some may think that this extra printing aimed at collectors is what holds down values. I think a bigger problem is the lack of popularity of the hobby in Monaco itself. Though Monaco processes many well off older folks. The country has yet to convince these tax transplants to take up collecting the many attractive local stamp issues. Strong local demand could rapidly raised the depressed value of Monaco’s stamps.
Todays stamp is issue A165, a 12 Centimes stamp issued by the Principality of Monaco on June 1st, 1966. The stamp is part of a 9 stamp issue in various denominations honoring the 100th anniversary of the casino at Monte Carlo. The stamp features Prince Charles III who saw to the completion of the casino project. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents whether mint of used. None of the stamps in this issue are worth over a dollar.
Monaco had been ruled by a Prince of the Grimaldi line. They was an allegiance to the Italian state of Genoa and later Sardinia. Though Monaco lies in the south of France the native people are mainly of Italian decent. In the 1860s, Monaco ceded 80 % of it’s territory to France in exchange for French recognition of Monaco’s independence. The loss of territory had a terrible impact on Monaco’s revenue as it lost the tax collections on the agricultural areas.
Princess Consort Maria had the idea of bringing in a Casino that would be owned jointly by the state and the Royal family. She was the de facto Regent for her husband as he was an actor in France in his youth and incapable of ruling. Princess Maria’s son Charles was properly trained and when Maria’s husband Florestan I died, Maria and Charles worked together to make her idea a reality.
An early attempt at a casino was a failure. Monaco was not easy to reach and the small facility was poorly managed and marketed. Princess Dowager Maria set out to make a casino more like a then successful one in Bad Homburg. She set out to recruit the French manager befriending his wife in order to convince on the move to then isolated Monaco. Charles then worked with the new management to re-site a larger facility on a hill that was rechristened Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo translates from Italian to Mount Charles. Carlo being the Italian styling of Charles. The casino and related development put Monaco on much better ground financially and there was much excitement in 19th century Europe about the prospect of breaking the bank at Monte Carlo. This was not thievery but happened occasionally when someone won more money than the dealer had available at the table. The casino still exists.
I am surprised that both in this 1966 stamp issue and the later one from 2016 celebrating the 150th anniversary of Monte Carlo, there is no recognition of the role of Princess Consort Maria. Hopefully this oversight will be seen to in the 2066 200th anniversary of the casino. If the casino makes it that long, if Monaco makes it that long, if they still produce new stamp issues, if The Philatelist is still around to notice, if, if if….
Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another for the traveling gamblers whose losses keep the lights on in Monaco. Hope you still enjoyed your trip. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting