Sardinia 1839(t) P 10 lire
This specimen was lot 2808 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it sold for CHF 650 (about US$856 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"10 Lire 1839. Turin. Selten. Sehr schön. (kingdom of Sardinia, ten lire of 1839, rare, very fine.)"
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 as a mintmark while coins struck at Genoa sported an anchor. The ten lire was struck at Genoa in 1833 and 1844 and at Turin (shown here) 1833, 1839 and 1847.
Recorded mintage: 2,237.
Specification: 3.22 g, 0.900 fine gold, .093 troy oz AGW, this specimen 3.16 g.
Catalog reference: Pag. 216, Schl. 265, Fr-1144, KM 136.1.
- 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.
- 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]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
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