Naples and Sicily 1852 120 grana Dav-175
This specimen was lot 32175 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $780. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Naples & Sicily (as the Two Sicilies). 120 Grana, 1852. Naples Mint. Fernando II. NGC MS-64. A lovely and lustrous near-Gem, this bright and wholesome example offers entrancing luster and sharp details throughout. A most impressive specimen for the specialist in the Italian States series." This sixth type of piastra was issued 1851-59 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 but a better date.
Specification: 27.53 g, 0.833 fine silver, 37 mm diameter, lettered edge.
Catalog reference: Dav-175; KM-370; MIR-503/1.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- Fabrizi, Davide, Monete Italiane Regionale: Napoli, Pavia: Edizioni Numismatica Varesi, 2010.
- 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, 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.
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