Italy 1929-R 5 lire
This specimen was part of lot 23177 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Philadelphia, August 2018), which sold for $432. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Minors, Late 19th-Early 20th Century. 20 pieces in lot. An interesting assortment of high grade mid-19th to mid-20th century issues. Lot includes the following: ...one each 1927, 1929 and 1930 5 Lire.... Close personal inspection is advised and will reward the diligent bidder. A perfect gathering for the beginner to intermediate collector looking to fill out their collections. All are graded and certified by either PCGS and NGC." This type was struck for the kingdom of Italy 1926-35. The weight and fineness matches that of the old silver lira, last minted in 1917. Vittorio Emanuele III succeeded his father Umberto upon the latter's assassination in 1900, but by 1929 he was the helpless tool of the Fascists, whose symbol appears on the reverse. The issues of 1926-30 are readily available but those of 1931-35 are rare, being struck for presentation only.
Recorded mintage: 33,803,000.
Specification: 5 g, 0.835 fine silver, .134 troy oz ASW, 23 mm diameter, lettered edge.
Catalog reference: KM 67.1, Gig-76.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, Kyle Ponterio and Chris Chatigny, The August 2018 Philadelphia ANA Auction: World Coins and Selections from the El Dorado Collection of Colombian Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2018.
Link to: