Italy 1867-T BN 20 lire
The first specimen was lot 75371 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $360. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. 20 Lire, 1867-T BN. Turin Mint. Vittorio Emanuele II. NGC AU-53. Wisps of dusty charcoal coloration enliven otherwise golden-honey surfaces while establishing full originality. Solidly graded and with sharp to full striking detail and abundant mint luster in the protected areas and fields. A welcome candidate for European gold collectors to expand their holdings." The second specimen was lot 2551 in Sincona sale 87 (Zürich, October 2023), where it sold for 300 CHF (about US$404 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted,
"ITALIEN Königreich, Vittorio Emanuele II. 1861-1878. 20 Lire 1867 T, Torino. Vorzüglich. (kingdom of Italy, Victor Emanuel II, 1861-78, twenty lire of 1867, Turin mint. Extremely fine."
This type was struck in Turin 1861-70 with no premium except for the 1861. Large quantities were made by melting down pre-unification gold coins and the type is common. The king added Rome to his domain in 1870 and the other mints (Turin, Milan, Naples) were closed, one by one.
Recorded mintage: 276,000.
Specification: 6.45 g, 0.900 fine gold, 0.1867 troy oz AGW, 21 mm diameter. the second specimen is 6.43 g.
Catalog reference: Mont. 137. Pagani 461. Fr-11; KM-10.1.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
- [2]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 87, World Coins and Medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2023.
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