Sardinia 1850(t) B 5 lire
This specimen was lot 7558 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $456. The catalog description[1] noted, "ITALY. Sardinia. 5 Lire, 1850-B. Vittorio Emanuele II. PCGS EF-45. Eagle mark next to 'B' inside shield. A well struck coin with honest, even wear, no notable marks, and deep gray toning throughout." 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, struck 1850-61 before Victor Emanuel became king of Italy, is much scarcer than the preceding five lire of Carlo Felice (1821-31) or Carlo Alberto (1831-49).
Recorded mintage: 57,921, a better date.
Specification: 25 grams, 0.900 fine silver, 37 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Dav-137; KM-144.2.
- 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.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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