Italy 1956-R 50 lire
This specimen was lot 75341 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $45. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. 50 Lire, 1956-R. Rome Mint. PCGS MS-65. A pleasing Gem example of this elegant type that draws artistic inspiration from Ancient Roman art and sculpture." The specimen shown is from a type struck in Rome for Italy 1954-89. A later, reduced size version (KM 95.2) was issued 1990-95. Despite a sincere attempt by engraver Guiseppe Romagnoli to produce a handsome design, the stainless steel fabric, with its dull color and low relief, defeated his efforts. Some of the early dates are valuable in strict uncirculated but none of the dates after the early sixties are collectible.
Recorded mintage: 69,400,000.
Specification: 6.25 g, stainless steel, 24.8 mm diameter, reeded edge.
Catalog reference: KM-95.1; Mont-11.
- 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, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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