Lombardy-Venetia 1839-M 1/2 sovrano Fr-741g
This specimen was lot 3114 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 400 (about US$527 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1/2 Sovrano 1839. Mailand. Sehr schön. (Lombardy-Venetia, half sovrano of 1839, Milan mint, very fine.)"
This denomination was originally introduced for circulation in the Austrian Netherlands, where it was called the demi-soverain d'or. It was struck in Milan 1837-48 and in Venice in 1837-47. The kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia was assembled by the Austrians to provide a unified administration for the Italian territories under their rule. This comprised the former duchies of Milan and Mantua and the republic of Venice. Milan, under Spanish rule from the 1500's, fell to the Austrians in 1714 and held by them until 1797 when Napoleon seized it. Napoleon gave Venice (until then independent) to Austria as compensation for her loss of Milan and Belgium. The area passed back and forth between the French and Austrians until the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15, when Metternich awarded it to Austria. Austria ruled Venetia until 1866, when it passed to the new kingdom of Italy.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 5.67 g, 0.900 fine gold, .164 troy oz AGW, this specimen 5.61 g.
Catalog reference: Schl. 337. Fr-741g; KM C20.2.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Herinek, Gerhard, Austria Münzkatalog: Munzen ab 1745 und Banknoten ab 1759, 49. Auflage, Vienna: Christine Steyrer Verlag, 2022.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- 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.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
- Veselý, Roman, Mince a medaile, 19. století, František II ab Karel I, Prague: Aurea Numismatika, 2020.
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