Vatican City 1957 100 lire Fr-291
This specimen was lot 4412 in Goldberg sale 65 (Los Angeles, September 2011), where it sold for $460. The catalog description[1] noted, "Italian States - Papal/Roman States. 100 Lire, 1957. An. XIX. Pius XII, 1939-1958. Papal arms. PCGS graded MS-66."
In 1860, the king of Sardinia succeeded in unifying the Italian peninsula after centuries of fragmentation. The Papal States, protected by a French army, were not incorporated until 1870. The pope, denouncing the occupation of his domain, withdrew into the Vatican palace as a self-declared prisoner. 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 1957-58 for Pius XII, is common as gold coins go. The lira was retired in 1999 when Italy joined the euro.
Recorded mintage: 2,000.
Specification: 5.19 g, 0.900 fine gold, .150 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-291; KM-A53, Ber-3405.
- 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.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, and Larry Goldberg, Goldberg sale 65: The Pre-Long Beach Auction, Ancient and World Coins," Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2011.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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- 1956 100 lire
- 1957 lira
- 1958 100 lire
- Coins and currency dated 1957
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