Sardinia 1825(t) L 40 lire
The first specimen was lot 1118 in Jean Elsen sale 122 (Brussels, September 2014), where it sold for €475 (about US$728 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIE, SAVOIE et SARDAIGNE, Charles Félix (1821-1831), AV 40 lire, 1825 L, Turin. Légères traces d'ajustage. Beau à Très Beau. (Italy, kingdom of Sardinia, Charles Felix (1821-31) gold forty lire of 1825, Turin mint. Light traces of adjustment marks, fine to very fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 31071 in Heritage sale 3035 (Long Beach, September 2014), where it sold for $822.50. The catalog description[2] noted, "Sardinia. Carlo Felice gold 40 Lire 1825-L Eagle AU55 NGC, Turin mint. A lustrous russet-gold example with mild contact marks and light wear on the high points." The Duchy of Savoy was an Italian state wedged between France and Milan and was often the victim of invasions from both directions. In 1720, the duke acquired the island of Sardinia and promoted himself to king of Sardinia. In 1799, king Carlo Emanuele IV was evicted by Napoleon and the region converted to the Ligurian Republic then annexed to France. Sardinia did not recover her independence until 1815. The king was rewarded by Metternich with the republic of Genoa, which he added to his territory and opened a branch mint there in addition to his existing mint at Turin. The Turin mint used an eagle's head (shown here) as a mintmark while coins struck at Genoa sported an anchor. This type was struck at the Turin mint 1822-35 and at Genoa 1825-26 during the reign of Carlo Felice of Sardinia (1821-31). It is struck to the same standard as the contemporary French forty francs.
Recorded mintage: 38,888.
Specification: 12.90 g, 0.900 fine gold, .373 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: KM 120.1 (formerly C107.1); Mont-23; Gig-17; Fr-1134.
- 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.
- [1]Philippe Elsen et al., Vente Publique 122: Collection de monnaies chinoises, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils, S. A., 2014.
- [2]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, and Warren Tucker, Heritage Signature Auction 3035, World and Ancient Coins, featuring the FoxLair Collection and the Law Collection, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
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