An actress, model, and a Princess? Much like Audrey Hepburn, who we have already covered in this 100 Greatest Women On Coins blog series, Grace Kelly has made a lasting impression from not only her acting accomplishments but also her marriage. Known for her beauty and style, she graces the Whitman Publishing’s top 100 list as explained by author Ron Guth. We will take a closer look at her career and her life as an American Princess.
#22 - Grace Kelly
Born in Philadelphia in 1929, Grace Patricia Kelly developed a love for acting at a very early age. Appearing in her first play at the age of 12, she went on to act and dance in high school before she took off for the Big Apple (New York City) to pursue an acting career. Working as a model to support herself, Kelly would find roles in plays, theaters, and on television until her first big break in 1949 when she performed in The Father, a Broadway production. Her first role in film was in Fourteen Hours (1951) before starring in her breakout role in High Noon (1952) as Gary Cooper’s wife. A number of films would follow, including Magombo (1953) with Clark Gable, Dial M For Murder (1954) with Ray Milland, Rear Window (1954) with Jimmy Stewart, and Country Girl (1954) with William Holden and Bing Crosby. She would go on to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her work in Country Girl.
During a 1955 appearance and the Cannes Film Festival, Kelly would make a side trip to Monaco that would forever change her life. She met Prince Rainier III and they would later marry in April of 1956. She would become Princess Grace and go on to have three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stephanie. Tragically her life would be cut short in 1982 as she was involved in an accident on September 13th. She would succumb to her injuries and pass.
As far as coins are concerned, she can be seen on them before and after her death. In 1966, the London firm Spink and Sons had the Paris Mint strike 10- and 200-franc coins to commemorate her 10th Anniversary of marriage to Prince Rainier. Following her death in 1982, Monaco would produce a coin with her profile portrait on the obverse with a large rose on the reverse. In 1996, the issuing country of Gibraltar would issue a crown in her honor as part of the Centenary of Cinema series. Finally in 2007, Monaco honored Princess Grace (Kelly) 25 years after her death with a bi-metallic 2-euro coin.
According to Guth, collecting coins featuring Grace is easy. They range in price from inexpensive to pricey and the 2007 Monaco 2-euro bi-metallic coin being offered at nearly twice its initial value as its mintage is only 20,000.