Vatican City 1933-34 100 lire

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Jean Elsen sale 124, lot 1463
Sincona sale 80, lot 2891

The first specimen was lot 1463 in Jean Elsen sale 124 (Brussels, March 2015), where it sold for €290 (about US$362 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,

"ITALIE, VATICAN, Pie XI (1922-1939), (Achille Ratti), AV 100 lire, 1933-1934, Année Sainte. Superbe à Fleur de Coin. (Italy, Vatican City, Pius XI (Achille Ratti, 1922-39), gold one hundred lire of 1933-34, for the Holy Year. Extremely fine to Uncirculated.)"

The second specimen was lot 2891 in Sincona sale 80 (Zürich, October 2022), where it sold for 550 CHF (about US$659 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[2] noted, "ITALY | Vatican - Church State, Pius XI. 1922-1939. 100 Lire 1933/1934 / Anno IVB, Roma. Auf das Heilige Jahr [For the Holy Year]. About uncirculated." Normal relations with the Italian government were not restored until Mussolini signed a concordat in 1929, granting the Pope sovereignty over Vatican City. Coinage began that year, struck at the Rome mint. Coins are issued for the Vatican City in symbolic amounts but as they are eagerly saved as souvenirs by tourists, they are not in short supply for collectors. This type, struck 1933-34 for Pius XI, is common as gold coins go. It was accompanied by a silver ten lire (KM 18), five lire (KM 17), two lire (KM 16), lira (KM 15), fifty centesimi (KM 14) and twenty centesimi (KM 13). All were struck in Rome. The Vatican hundred lire was reduced to 5.19 grams in 1936. The lira was retired in 1999 when Italy joined the euro.

Recorded mintage: 23,000.

Specification: 8.8 g, 0.900 fine gold, 23.5 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: Munt-2; Berman-3362; Fr-84, KM 19, Mont. 425, Pagani 616.

Source:

  • Berman, Allen G., Papal Coins, South Salem, NY: Attic Books, 1991.
  • 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.
  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • 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.
  • [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 124, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2015.
  • [2]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 80, World Coins and Medals, SINCONA Bullion Auction, World Banknotes, Coins and Medals from Switzerland, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.

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