Sardinia 1858(g) P 5 lire
This specimen was lot 1593 in Sincona sale 6 (Zürich, May 2012), where it sold for 300 CHF (about US$453 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"ITALIEN Savoia-Sardegna Vittorio Emanuele II. 1849-1878. 5 Lire 1858, Genova. Selten. Sehr schön. (Italy, kingdom of Sardinia, Victor Emanuel II, 1849-78, five lire of 1858, Genoa mint. Rare, very fine.)"
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. This type, struck 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: 30,000.
Specification: 25 g, 0.900 fine silver; this specimen is 24,64 g.
Catalog reference: Pag. 386, Dav-137, KM 144.2 (formerly C124.1).
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns and Talers, Since 1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
- 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 & Books: Auction 6, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2012.
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