Sardinia 1833(g) P 50 lire
This specimen was lot 42458 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $4,080. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Sardinia. 50 Lire, 1833-P. Genoa Mint; mm: Anchor. Carlo Alberto. NGC AU Details--Cleaned. An EXTREMELY RARE offering on account of its paltry mintage figure, this enchanting and desirable specimen does exhibit some minor wear from time in circulation as well as the noted cleaning, but nevertheless remains without issue otherwise, and stands as a great opportunity for an undisputed RARITY." 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 Genoa 1833 only and is very rare.
Recorded mintage: 92.
Specification: 16.12 g, 0.900 fine gold, 21 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Fr-1141; KM-137.2.
- 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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