Milan 1781 1/2 lira
This specimen was lot 32171 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $2,160. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Milan. Silver Medallic 1/2 Lira, 1781. Milan Mint. Giuseppi (Joseph) II. NGC MS-64+. A VERY RARE semi-medallic issue featuring an extremely sharp strike and an abundance of frosty brilliance, this example is exceeded in the NGC census by just one other. Includes original collector's ticket of Clelio Varesi." There exists a half lira struck for circulation 1781-87 (KM 206). This is an acclamation issue for Joseph II, who became duke of Milan on the death of his mother Maria Theresia in 1780. This was doen again in 1792 for Francis II.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.1 g, 0.552 fine silver, 23 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-Unlisted; Mont-117.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2025 NYINC Showcase Auction, featuring the Richard Margolis Collection, Part III, and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to:
- Milan 1782-LB lira
- 1782 zecchino
- Milan 1792 1/2 lira acclamation issue for Francis II
- Coins and currency dated 1781