Naples and Sicily 1850 60 grana
This specimen was lot 42434 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Naples & Sicily (as the Two Sicilies). 60 Grana, 1850. Naples Mint. Ferdinando II. NGC MS-61. A fairly SCARCE minor in elevated states of preservation, this argent and rather frosty example is exceeded in the NGC census by a mere single specimen." This specimen was offered again as lot 47835 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $660. This half piastra was issued 1846-59 for Ferdinand II. These large silver coins are priced fairly low in the SCWC but do not turn up often. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to Italy in 1860 but remains poor, backward and corrupt.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.77 g, 0.833 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-361.
- Fabrizi, Davide, Monete Italiane Regionale: Napoli, Pavia: Edizioni Numismatica Varesi, 2010.
- 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.
- Gigante, Fabio, Gigante 2016: Catalogo Nazionale delle Monete Italiano Dal '700 All'Euro, 24a ed. Varese, Italy, 2015.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Montenegro, Eupremio, Montenegro 2015: Manuale del Collezionista di Monete Italiane, 30 ed., Torino, Italy: Montenegro s.a.s., 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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