Lombardy-Venetia 1854-M lira
This specimen was lot 5980 in Künker sale 354 (Osnabrück, Germany, September 2021), where it sold for €1,100 (about US$1,531 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"RÖMISCH-DEUTSCHES REICH, Franz Josef I. 1848-1916. Lira 1854, M, Mailand. Vorzüglich. (Holy Roman Empire, Francis Joseph, 1848-1916, lira of 1854, Milan mint. Extremely fine.)"
At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Venice, Milan and Mantua were merged into the kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and awarded to Austria. After crushing the rebellion of 1848, Austrian rule became deeply unpopular. Perhaps sensing her inevitable eviction from Italy, Austria cut back on minting activity in Milan and Venice. Lombardy fell to Sardinia in 1859 and Venetia to Italy in 1866. This type was struck 1853-58 but is very scarce.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.33 g, 0.900 fine silver, this specimen 4.34 g.
Catalog reference: KM C37.2, J. 307.
- 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.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- Herinek, Gerhard, Austria Münzkatalog: Munzen ab 1745 und Banknoten ab 1759, 49. Auflage, Vienna: Christine Steyrer Verlag, 2022.
- Veselý, Roman, Mince a medaile, 19. století, František II ab Karel I, Prague: Aurea Numismatika, 2020.
- [1]Künker, Fritz Rudolf, Horst-Rudiger Künker, Ulrich Künker and Andreas Kaiser, Künker Auktion 354: Munzen und Medaillen aus Mittelalter und Neuzeit u. a. Braunschweig-Luneburg. Osnabrück: Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co., AG, 2021.
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